Leviathan: Oracle
by WordKrush
Summary: The Intelligence is a mistake that must be corrected. Millions of years after its creation, a pureblood asari may hold the key to its defeat, but vital knowledge is missing. With the help of her father, new friends, and an intriguing human, she will find it and discover not only what she must do, but who she is. Set during the events of ME1 but does NOT follow ME storyline.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

For the first time in ages, he and his brethren floated together in the absolute darkness of the ocean floor. They had escaped the oceans and sailed among the stars long ago, but in remembrance of their origins, Sha'ol was always underwater, miles below the surface where the pressure without mirrored the pressure within. They had not met for Sha'ol for many harvest cycles, perhaps too many. They gathered now to discuss and debate, but above all to decide and based upon that decision to act.

Of the thousands gathered, his was the lone voice of dissent.

To assuage his doubt, his brethren shared their thoughts. Images coalesced within his consciousness, floating on a current of sensations; solar heat stroking his plates, the elemental tang of atmosphere, the push and pull of ocean currents against his tentacles. Along the horizon of his awareness, the thralls of a thousand civilizations stretched out before him eager to pay tribute. Standing out among the rest were the supplicants from the planet on which they currently met and his mantle swelled with pride. Undertones of awe resonated through the Sha'ol as the memories were shared; he had done good work.

Countless millenia ago, when he had first come to this place, the ki'yut, the potentials, were as infants. A tender spark of sentience was all that separated them from the ki'sham, the unworthy. Sensing their awareness, he reached out and brushed his mind against theirs and slowly, over thousands of years, he shaped them. Under his influence, they grew from a few, barely aware creatures to space faring colonizers numbering in the billions. Even at the peak of their civilization, their limited minds could not conceive of his greatness. They thought him a god though he was not. He was A'than and like his kind had done since the cusp of time unfurled, he guided the ki'yut and protected them. In exchange, they offered to him their collective achievements and advancements as tribute. Every scrap, every fragment of their knowledge and skill became his. He, in turn, shared it among the other A'than and all benefited, for when they ventured out to new worlds, to fledgling civilizations, their own efforts to nurture and shape were informed by the experiences of others.

This was the fabric of their universe, their method of growing and evolving. Plant technology and information, cultivate ideas, harvest knowledge. It was the cycle, immutable and unquestionable.

And it was failing.

Over time, as the A'than spread across the galaxy, unforeseen patterns began to emerge. As new civilizations developed and peaked, they aspired to accomplish more, to learn more, to be more. To satisfy their thirst for growth, the supplicant species created inorganic constructs. At first, this was perceived to be beneficial. It was via the utilization of synthetic enhancements his kind had breached the womb of the sea to fly into the waiting arms of space. However as time passed, the constructs sought to surpass their creators. Inevitably, devastating war and ruin followed. Civilizations fell. Tributes stopped. There was nothing to be gained from the wasteland of the dead.

Collectively, the A'than watched and waited. What was a thousand years to their kind, or a hundred thousand? They were patient. But now, the time for waiting was done. As tributes slowed or stopped, their own growth and evolution had effectively stopped. They had reached the apex of their own civilization and now met in Sha'ol to decide a course of action.

"_The cycle must continue." _The unanimous and unwavering thoughts of his brethren pressed against him in the dark as the welcome memories faded.

"_Brothers. The Intelligence is not the way_."

"_You are wrong. The Intelligence is the only way. Without it, our supplicants will continue to be destroyed. There will be no tribute. We will not evolve_."

Time, like the cycle, is unwavering and relentless and he sat upon its cutting edge, torn with indecision. The currents around him rolled as the other A'than trembled to hear his answer and in that moment he knew his greatness had surpassed theirs. Rather than pride, he felt a profound sense of loss. He slowly drew his tentacles down and reached out with his mind. His ancient voice erupted inside them. "_You are blinded by fear. Your solution will be your end; the truth is irrefutable yet you will deny it to the last." _ The deep water churned at their agitation. "_You are brave in your ignorance for a moment, but you will eventually cower in the dark. I will not be a part of our demise. I cannot condone this action!"_

Wave after wave of frustrated anger pummeled him, but he would not be dissuaded. Finally a familiar voice broke through the tumult, carried within a mind he knew almost as well as his own, that of his progenitor. "_The Sha'ol is broken, yet we must be united as one, or undone. May your pride carry you far; I cast you out and away. You are Levi'athan, and you will hear us no more_." As one, their consciousnesses withdrew from his until the silence within him was as cold and deep as the blackest reaches of space and he retreated from them.

As the Intelligence was constructed, Levi'athan watched and waited, but he was not idle. Cut off from his kind, his manner of knowing was vastly reduced. To counter their loss, he created organic artifacts that enabled him to see through the eyes of thralls and augmented his sphere of influence. Traveling far and wide, he seeded the artifacts across the galaxy so that when the Intelligence was born, and as it created pawns with which to gather information from civilizations across systems, he could observe them unseen.

When, in less than a thousand fruitless harvests, the Intelligence turned on the A'than, he was not surprised. The betrayal was a foregone conclusion as evidenced by the thousands of cycles the A'than had observed. Without fail, in every instance, the created turned on their creators as each sought to achieve more than they could alone, yet still the Intelligence was not satisfied. Levi'athan could sense its futile stretch toward perfection and here he saw its greatest flaw. Driven by programming alone, the Intelligence was artless in its pursuit of achieving its goals, but most of all, it was impatient. As its reaper pawns grew in number, it created the Citadel and the Mass Relay system to expedite the harvest, until the cycle became a twisted parody of its original intent.

In the oldest A'than cycles, all were made more. Evolution, the thread from which the fabric of the cycles was knit, was inevitable. With the influence of the A'than, desired evolutionary outcomes could be achieved, but even without their influence species and civilizations evolved, albeit more randomly. Left to their own devices, by building on the remnants of those who had come before them, a net evolutionary gain occurred.

The Reaper cycles leveled this process. By eliminating virtually every trace of the civilizations they harvested, subsequent civilizations had little hope of capitalizing on the gains of space faring races, for this was when the reapers, driven by the impatience of the Intelligence, struck them down. In time, the reaper cycles became as predictable as planetary orbits.

The Intelligence was designed to preserve organic life, but its methods to satisfy its programming were too rational, too precise, too synthetic. It strove, through logic and order, to achieve perfection and it would fail until the end of all things because it lacked the one component it perpetually limited with each harvest: Chaos. Chaos, organic in its very nature, was a necessity. It was _the _necessity. The Intelligence's unbending order, created from flat logic alone, resulted in a singular terminus, a galactic evolutionary dead end. Chaos, by virtue of its very nature, born from a random collision of infinite factors created an endless cascade of possibilities and potentials.

He knew the Intelligence and its reaper pawns must be destroyed, but he could not do it alone. Likewise, the solution did not reside with a synthetic construct; even with his vast capacity for understanding he could not foresee the possible outcome of two equally powerful synthetic entities set across purpose of one another. No, the answer lay in trusting the ever changing chaos that naturally opposed logic and order. Chaos that could only come from an organic source.

As he floated in the lea of heavily cratered moon, looking out across the cosmos, he knew time would be his greatest ally and his most grudging foe. The Intelligence was impatient, he could not be. Yet the parameters in which he could intervene were now firmly set by the reaper cycles. He must, within an allotted time, find the right species to shape and then influence them in ways that made them worthy adversaries to the Intelligence. The rest, he must leave to chance in the hope chaos would spark the requisite result.

If any of his brothers remained, he would find them. If he could not find them, he would devise a method to undo their single and greatest mistake. He would devise a method to defeat the Intelligence and the galaxy would bend to his will once more.

The decision made, he sank into the eezo filled waters of the blue planet below him and began to plan.

* * *

**Author's note**

* * *

This particular story is like nothing I've written before. It is fully, one hundred percent AU. Canon lore and science remain largely intact. Names will be familiar. Some roles will be similar, many will be very different. *Stuff* will make sense.

The Leviathan story in particular fascinates me. They were the apex race of the galaxy and were unimaginably ancient. They had tribute species…but canon never really explains what kind of tribute they received, or why they needed it…I've taken some steps to elaborate on this further in a way that plays to the unexplained similarities between the reapers and the Leviathan, which I also find intriguing. Sure, Harbinger was created in Leviathan's image, but why was every single reaper ever made also made in the same form? Perhaps it was the Intelligence's way of thumbing his synthetic nose at the apex species responsible for his creation, but I think there's a bit more to it than that. The reapers also share the same abilities as Leviathan…indoctrination is simply a more refined ability to enthrall. Also, like Leviathan, the reapers use lesser species to serve them. It made sense to me that they likely borrowed other, unseen aspects of Leviathan, most likely in how they tie their purpose of organic preservation to the manner in which they operate. Even Leviathan said there is no war, only the harvest. Perhaps because this was the manner in which they viewed their own subjugation of tribute species? Leviathan says the enthralled races were protected by his kind. Likewise, the Intelligence truly believes it is protecting organic life by changing it to condensed soup with an infinite shelf life and storing it in synthetic reaper-shaped pantries. These were the ideas that were playing around waaaaay in the back of my head as I wrote this.

I went a bit back and forth about the idea of including a prologue to reflect my interpretation of events. I didn't want to give away too much, too soon, but ultimately I decided to include it. Sometimes, as a writer, when a story exists in your head it's so real and tangible it's easy to forget that it doesn't exist in the same way for everyone else. My job is to make it as real for you as it is for me….thus, the inclusion of the prologue.

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Everyone who has reviewed me in the past knows I try to respond to every review and answer any/all questions you might have. So review, PM…whatever floats your boat. If you find scathing errors for the love of mac-n-cheese, please point them out!

Thanks in advance for the gift of your reading time. I hope you enjoy!

WordKrush


	2. Chapter 1 Priestess To Go

**Priestess To Go**

* * *

"Target located," Aethyta spoke softly into her communicator, scowling as her voice echoed off the marbled walls and floated into the dark recesses of the arched ceiling despite her hushed tone. She walked through a promenade of carved alabaster pillars, trying to shake the feeling of unease that crept under her skin whenever she entered a temple. _Damn temples_. She hated them. She hated the pretense of the shining columns and statues, hated the way the room felt confining despite the open layout and high sweeping vaults. Even here on Nevos, where Athame was little more than an afterthought, the temple still managed to reflect the elitist attitude of Athame's dedicated.

As she continued into the great hall toward her target, a pair of matrons emerged from behind a column ahead of her. When they stepped into her path, obviously awaiting her approach, her scowl deepened. Naked except for sheer skirts knotted at slender hips, they wore matching looks of of disdain as they took in her worn commando leathers and the pistol strapped to her thigh.

_Let the games begin, _she thought, struggling not to roll her eyes as their chins ratcheted up a notch with every step she took toward them. Athame's sworn followers were always so quick to assert their collective air of superiority. Damned pompous twits. In her opinion, the only thing that separated them from strippers was pole placement. Instead of a pole wedged between their thighs they had a pole shoved straight up their collective asses.

She eyed the thin silver torques at the matrons throats that identified them as aradia. A tier above acolyte and a tier below priestess, aradia were inevitably self-important rule spewers. She carefully studied their faces as she strode toward them. Though she had never been to Nevos, she had made it a point to memorize the names and faces of every member of the conclave. These two were Janeth Avros and Deka N'Phor, both daughters of two of the oldest families on Nevos.

"Good evening… matriarch," The taller of the pair, Janeth, all but choked on the honorific, her disapproval apparent. "The hour for seeking counsel is well past…"

Without breaking stride, Aethyta stepped smoothly between them and continued toward her target. Her eyes remained fixed just ahead, locked onto the back of the lone asari she had come to see. The only asari worth entering a temple for, that was for damn sure. She sat alone under a sweeping window at the end of the hall, meditating as the evening sky slipped into night.

"Matriarch!" The aradia scurried to keep up with her ground eating strides, their slippered feet rustling under their skirts. "This is unacceptable! You must not disturb…"

Aethyta glanced over her shoulder. "If you lay one finger on me I'll head butt you so hard you'll be a maiden again when you wake." She smirked as the hand reaching for her fell away. _Presumptive little shit. _

"Matriarch it is unseemly to disturb the Rede during meditation!" Deka's voice was as hard and clear as polar ice. "If you wish to petition for a formal audience you may do so with Priestess Lithia..."

Aethyta stopped abruptly, pivoting on her heel to face the aradia. The movement was so swift and unexpected they stumbled to keep from careening into her. _Goddess damn it!_ She had a job to do, and no time for conclave bullshit. "Fine."

Deka, who had been winding up to argue, snapped her mouth shut with an audible click.

"Well then," Janeth's lips curved into a tense smile as she smoothed the front of her ruffled skirt. "If you will follow me, I will..."

"Matriarchs don't follow, honey, they lead." Aethyta crossed her arms over her chest and her lips compressed into a thin smile. She didn't deliberately pull rank often, but she knew the rules better than most; she'd spent the past eight hundred years inventing ways to bend them. "I'll just wait right here while you two go get her."

Janeth's cheeks flushed a deep lavender and her eyes flitted nervously to the asari still meditating less than twenty feet away. She was trapped and she knew it. "Matriarch, I am certain one of your esteemed years can understand there is a process that must be followed. There is an…order to these things. I…one cannot simply _retrieve_ the Priestess…"

"It is all right, Janeth." At the sound of the clear voice, the aradia dipped their heads in unison and brought their fingertips to their lips. Aethyta turned, her heart clenching tightly in her chest as the priestess rose, long robes cascading to her feet in waves of silvery fabric as she turned to face them. "The matriarch's need must be great indeed to seek me at this late hour." She waved a dismissive hand to the aradia, though her guarded eyes never left Aethyta's. "You may return to your dormitories."

The huntress and the priestess studied each other in silence as the aradia scurried away.

"Please, matriarch, tell me; what brings you here at this late hour? How may I be of assistance?"

Aethyta sighed, and slowly closed the last few feet between them, wishing for the thousandth time that her life had followed a different path, that things had been different…for both of them. "I've got to get you out of here, Little Wing."


	3. Chapter 2 Maw Spawn

**Maw Spawn**

* * *

Surprise flickered briefly across Liara's face at the nickname but she quickly schooled her features into a serene and unreadable mask. Her manner was so similar to Benezia, Aethyta felt it like a kick to the teeth and she licked her lips, half expecting to taste blood. Liara didn't look like Nezzie, not really. She hadn't seen her daughter face to face since the night she was born, but Benezia had sent her holos as often as she could. Liara was beautiful like her mother, there was no denying that, but where Benezia's beauty was refined and aged, Liara's was young and fresh-faced. The way they carried themselves, however, was identical. Liara had the same regal bearing and timeless grace as her mother, every move precise and dignified.

"How do you know that name?" Liara spoke with the crisp tone of one accustomed to authority.

"Listen kid, I don't have time to give you a history lesson right now. I meant what I said, I've got to get you out of here. Now. You're in danger."

"You will not address me so informally!" Liara snapped, eyes simmering with anger. "I am Priestess Liara of House T'Soni and Rede to this conclave. You may address me as Priestess or Rede!"

Aethyta stared open mouthed. _Sweet fucking spirits what the hell have you allowed to happen to our kid, Nezzie? _She'd been adamantly opposed to Benezia's idea to dedicate Liara to Athame's service. She'd known nothing good could come of it but Benezia had insisted it was the only way to keep her safe and she had given in against her better judgment. "Fine _Priestess,_" she retorted hotly. "Don't get your panties in a twist. I was sent here by your mother."

"My mother? What has Benezia to do with this?" Liara challenged. "I have not seen my mother in years and I am to believe she would send an unknown huntress to collect me from my home?" Liara drew herself up to her full height. "No, if my mother required me she would not have sent a delegate; she would have come for me herself."

Aethyta clenched her fists, fighting the urge to hit something. She'd spent the past one hundred and six years with an ear to the ground to ensure her daughter's safety and now, when the time had finally come to act, she had to put up with _this? _"Look kid, this isn't the way I…"

Aethyta found herself snuggly encapsulated neck to knee in a biotic field and unable to move. Liara moved closer, pausing when she stood just outside the perimeter of the field. "I believe I was quite clear regarding proper forms of address," she said, her tone calmly superior. "Now, you will tell me who you are and why you have come here."

Aethyta felt a foreign touch against her mind and slammed down her mental barriers, both horrified and furious.

"Athame's tits, Liara!" Attempting to initiate a meld without consent was beyond taboo, even for priestesses, but as Liara glared at her, she realized it wasn't a meld. Liara's eyes were still as blue and bright as the sea as they bored into hers. She was suddenly overcome by a strong compulsion to tell Liara everything she wanted to know. "I am Matriarch Aethyta. Your mother is allied with..a..Council Spectre, Saren Arterius…" _What the hell was she doing? _A wave of anger sliced through her, providing a moment of clarity. "What the fuck are you doing to me? Goddess _damn_ it, Liara!"

"You will not swear in the name of the goddess!"

"Of course not," she readily agreed, despising the unnatural chafing of the words as soon as she said them. _I'll swear to whoever I goddess damn well please! _Aethyta used her mounting anger and frustration to combat the feelings coursing through her that urged her submit and obey. Gritting her teeth, she fought. "Let me go right damn now!"

"I will not," Liara said calmly. "You are stubborn Matriarch, but you _will_ tell me." Liara's calm certainty was salt in an open wound.

"Not until you ask nicely, damn your blue ass."

Aethyta's com buzzed in her ear. "_Aethyta,we've got a problem. We just picked up an unregistered turian cargo ship on the ground near your location. We're moving in to check it out but it smells like trouble. Damn it, Aethyta, get the girl and get out of there!" _

Had she been able to move her arms, she would have smacked her forehead in frustration. "Can this day possibly get any damn worse?"

Behind her, the broad doors on the far end of the hall burst open with a loud smack, accompanied by a rapid clicking of metallic feet and a deep voice, distinctly krogan. "Find them. Kill the matriarch but try not to harm the girl. Saren wants her alive."

Apparently yes...yes it could.

Liara's eyes widened and she ducked behind the nearest broad column, biotically pulling Aethyta with her. In the shock of the moment, Aethyta felt Liara's mental grip on her release though she was still firmly trapped in the biotic field.

"Listen _Priestess_," Aethyta hissed. "Let me explain the situation. Y_ou _are the girl they're after. _I _am the matriarch they want dead. If you want to live you will release me. Now. I am not your enemy; they are."

All trace of her former hauteur gone, Liara's eyes bored into hers, taking her measure. "How do I know I can trust you? How do I know I should go with you and not them?"

"Can we have this conversation later? When there isn't a krogan planning to kill me?" She ground her teeth when Liara didn't budge. "I came here at your mother's request, they're here on the orders of a rogue Spectre. You do the math," she said. "Damn, at least I _asked _you to come with me…sort of."

Liara hesitated for a moment before releasing her. "Your point is valid." Her eyes showed no hint of fear, but she appeared uncertain. "I do not like violence."

Aethyta smiled as she thumbed the catch on her pistol and freed it. "That's okay, Little Wing, I like it enough for both of us." She glanced around the column. How many exits does this hall have?" She knew of two, but individual temples often had their own secret passages.

"Two. The main entrance leading to the exterior and a side entrance that leads to the…it leads to the priestesses dormitory." She gasped, "We must not let them reach the others!"

Before Aethyta could stop her, Liara burst into the open, leaving Aethyta little choice but to follow. On the far side of the room, a krogan and three lanky geth slowly made their way through a garden of statuaries that led to a pair of tall heavily framed doors set deep into the side wall.

"We need to distract them," Aethyta whispered, reaching for a grenade pouch nestled against the small of her back.

Liara's voice split the air, echoing across the ceiling and commanding the attention of the intruders. "I am Priestess Liara T'Soni. Why has Saren sent you? What does he want with me?"

As four distant heads turned their way, Aethyta dropped the flash bang back in its pouch before turning to Liara. "I said a distraction, not a goddess damn invitation! For future reference, a distraction _misleads_ the enemy! It doesn't draw them right to you!"

Liara lifted her chin and frowned, "Do you always swear so much? It is quite distasteful. Besides, my ploy worked; they are moving away from the door."

"Some goddess damned _ploy_," Aethyta muttered under her breath.

Liara frowned, "Did you say something?"

"Nothing important, your majesty," she snarked, then swore when she recognized the krogan marching slowly toward them. Quash Torgott was a dangerous enemy. A powerful biotic brute, he had a notoriously vicious temper even by krogan standards. She'd faced him before…him and his brother, when she'd still be in the Guard. Leaning close in to Liara she whispered, "How are your shields?"

"I am T'Soni!" Liara countered. "I said I do not like to fight, not that I am incompetent."

"Stay back, but _not _behind me." Aethyta warned. "Krogan like to charge; it's kind of their thing."

"I am also not uneducated, huntress," Liara replied, though her tone held significantly less venom as the krogan drew near. "Be careful!" she added, as Aethyta stepped forward to meet the intruders.

"Quash Torgott, you shit stain, you're working for Saren now?" She needed to keep Torgott's attention away from Liara. Aside from his temper, he was also widely known for his affinity for young asari. She wasn't going to let him lay one fat finger on her girl.

"Matriarch Aethyta." Torgott's laughter was hard and harsh. "It's been a long time. I'm surprised you're still alive."

"You had the chance to kill me on Chalkhos and you failed. Since you and I both know you're just as stupid now as you were then, you'll fail today, too. Heh…I guess since you're working for Saren your dumbass brother finally kicked you from the Blood Pack."

"Hurgott hasn't got the quad. I chose to leave." His lecherous eyes trailed over Liara. "Freelance work provides a sweeter kind of profit."

"You lie worse than a salarian with a rachni problem, Torgott. We both know Hurgott cut you loose because you were too weak and stupid to be Blood Pack. Ganar Wrang and Hurgott both wanted you gone. How many Blood Pack did you lead to their deaths on Chalkhoss? You were so stupid you kept falling for the same traps over and over." She watched his red eyes narrow to slits as a low, predatory growl tore past his teeth. Her lips pressed together in a thin smile. "I bet they'd laugh their asses off if they could see you now. You're nothing more than a deranged turian's errand boy."

Torgott bristled. "I only took this job for the money and the girl; killing you will be an unexpected bonus_ huntress_." He sneered the last and showed his teeth. Krogan had great respect for the biotic prowess of huntresses in general, but considered their trademark hit and run fighting tactics weak and cowardly.

Aethyta laughed as she crouched and prepared to strike. "Yeah, I'm a huntress, but there's something about me you don't know, you son of a bitch: my father was a krogan." She made a beckoning gesture with her free hand, blue wisps of energy trailing from her fingertips. "Come on, _errand boy_. Come and get me if you think you've got the quad. Come fetch me for your fucking turian master like the tame varren bitch you are."

With a thunderous roar, Torgott ducked his head and charged.

"Liara! Shield!" Anticipating his blind rush, Aethyta deftly sidestepped and drew back, ready to unleash a biotically charged kick to his knee when he sped by. What she wasn't ready for was the massive biotic shield Liara had thrown up as soon as she'd seen the krogan move. Clearly, Torgott wasn't expecting it either. Fueled by anger and dark energy, the krogan rammed into the shield at full speed. The sound of the impact was like a high speed shuttle collision. Torgott flew backwards, tumbling head over nubbed tail for several meters before sliding to a halt, stunned and still.

With Torgott down, the geth opened fire. As pulse blasts began to hammer at the shield, Aethyta offered Liara a grin. "Well, goddess damn girl, you weren't kidding about your shielding."

Hands extended to maintain the barrier, Liara could only glare over her shoulder. "Stop swearing by Athame! It is…entirely inappropriate!"

A pulse blast snapped against the barrier beside Aethyta's head. "Now is not the time, Oh Holiest of Holies. How long can you keep this up?" Despite the strength of the shield, Liara exhibited little physical effort.

"I am not certain, but I do not think I can withstand another charge by the krogan and he is attempting to rise."

"I'll take care of the krogan, you just focus on keeping the geth off you. They don't want to kill you, they just want your barrier down."

"Is that supposed to be reassuring?" As the geth began concentrating fire on narrow sections of her barrier, Liara's eyes widened with the first hint of fear Aethyta had seen in the girl. "What if my shield fails, or you are injured. I do not…"

"I'll be fine and so will you. Throw 'em around and smash 'em into stuff if you have to. Hell, you've got the juice, kid…you may as well use it." Satisfied Liara would be okay for the moment, Aethyta gripped her pistol and dove forward, rolling to a crouch behind a broad stone plinth as Liara shrunk the barrier. Behind her she could hear Liara's voice amid the rifle fire.

"I have a name! It is not _kid_!"

Torgott appeared to have regained his footing and his senses. His eyes roved the room, searching for her while she continued to creep from from the base of one column to the next. To ensure Liara's safety, she needed to finish him as quickly as possible then finish the geth. Liara's shield was strong, but she couldn't keep it up forever. Moving until she was behind the krogan, she peered over the rounded corner of the plinth, reached into her pouch and palmed a cluster grenade. _All right you ugly fuck, let's get your barriers down. _

Carefully gauging the distance, she lobbed the grenade between Torgott and the geth. Ducking back down, she waited for the soft pop that signaled it had split. As soon as she heard it, she burst from cover and ran forward, ramming her glowing fist into the tender side of Torgott's neck. She felt a satisfying crunch just as the grenade detonated but she'd underestimated the biotic explosion. The resulting force hurled her into a nearby crystal bust of Janiris, driving the air from her lungs and sending her pistol flying from her grip. Ignoring the pain lancing through her ribs she turned back to Torgott, noting with relief the splintering grenade had managed to take down one of the geth.

"Come on, you shriveled-hump sack of pyjack shit," she taunted, scanning the floor for her weapon "You haven't even hit me yet."

Torgott howled but instead of charging, leveled his claymore in her direction. The heavy weapon looked like a child's toy in his massive claws.

_Oh hell. _She threw herself to the side just as the shotgun roared. The pellets shredded a marble frieze on the wall behind her as she slid gracelessly behind another plinth. She was beginning to develop a new appreciation for the defensive potential of temple architecture; there was no shortage of heavy shit to hide behind. From the floor, she cautioned a quick glance toward Liara. Her shield was weakening, rippling under the repeated onslaught of the geth's pulse rifles_. _She needed to end this soon.

The second she'd spent checking on Liara was all Torgott needed to get the jump on her. He rounded the corner, red eyes shining wildly and laughed as she began scooting backwards, trying to gain her feet. "Time to die, Matriarch." He smiled wickedly as he pumped the shotgun and aimed it at her legs. "But first I'm going to watch you bleed. Which do you think I should hit first, left knee or…"

A geth body leaking copious amounts of slick white fluid struck the side of Torgott's head with enough force to stagger him sideways and drive him into the wall.

Aethyta looked to Liara who, like her, had taken refuge behind one of the columns, foregoing her shield to throw the geth at Torgott. They were now on opposite sides of the room directly across from each other. "Nice one, Your Magnificence!" Aethyta called as she reached her feet and drew her knife.

"It is _Priestess_!" Liara yelled back. "And you did suggest throwing them."

Before Torgott could recover, Aethyta planted a solid kick to his knee, angling her foot to catch the joint at its weakest point. She felt the ligaments pop under the sole of her boot, but not enough to incapacitate him. She was winding up to kick again when his well timed biotic push knocked her into the center of the room. Her ribs cracked audibly as she slammed into a column

Beside her, a flash of blue erupted as Liara sent warps tearing into the two remaining geth. "Shoot him!" Liara screeched.

"I can't!" she groaned from her knees. "I lost my gun!"

With a mighty bellow, Torgott charged again.

"Oh! Watch out!" Liara called.

A sharp pain ripped through her side as a headless and dismembered geth torso broad-sided her, catching her while she was still on her knees and knocking her well clear of the path of Torgott's charge.

"Aim for the krogan, Liara!" she wheezed, lungs and side burning. "The krogan!"

"I am trying!" Liara replied hotly. "You are half krogan, are you not?"

Too breathless to reply, Aethyta pushed to her feet, groaning at the tearing sensation over her hip. She looked down to find blood pouring freely from her side. She placed her hand over the wound and cried out as her palm jarred a hunk of the geth's synthetic casing embedded there. Gritting her teeth, she wrapped slick fingers around the protruding end and yanked the broad sliver free. Tossing it aside, her eyes searched for Liara. The geth were down, but she couldn't see Liara or Torgott anywhere._ No, no…fuck no. _

Ignoring the blood pouring from between her fingers, she shuffled in the direction of Liara's last hiding spot, biting back a growl as the slender asari backed into the open, urged onward at the point of Torgott's shotgun.

"Give it up, Torgott," she said through clenched teeth.

"You can barely stand. You're finished, asari; the girl is mine." Torgot laughed and sneered. "I win."

Reaching deep and fighting through the pain, she began pooling dark energy, drawing on her last well of strength. Though she hadn't expended a great deal of biotic effort during the fight, her body was too battered for anything more than one last attack. She had to make it count. "There's something else you don't know about me, Torgott; I protect what is mine and nobody messes with _my_ girl!" Gripping her knife, Aethyta erupted into a blaze of dark energy and burst forward in a streak of blue. Closing the distance to Torgott in less time than it takes to blink, she rammed her forehead into his surprised face. As he fell back, she followed, clinging to his chest like a tick, elbow cocked and knife raised. "I told you I was half krogan you slack-jawed maw spawn!" With the last of her strength, she drove the knife into his eye and up, twisting sharply when the guard caught against his skin, and holding it there until he stilled. "I win, you bastard."

Her strength gone, she collapsed on top of Torgott. Liara rushed to her side and gently rolled her onto the floor. A dull ache spread through her side as trembling fingers explored her wound, and once again she felt the strange and compelling touch of Liara's mind. "You will not die." It was an order as much as a plea.

"Bossy thing aren't you?" She shook her head. "Not today, kid."

While Liara's hands searched her pockets, retrieving tubes of medi-gel, Aethyta fumbled for her com. "We need extraction. Main hall." She breathed a grateful sigh as the numbing coolness of medi-gel began seeping into her wounds and looked up at Liara. "You did good, kid, but you and I…we're going to have a…serious talk later…about your over-utilization of…sarcasm. And your aim."

Liara offered her an apologetic half smile as she smeared medi-gel onto Aethyta's lacerated forehead, but her expression grew guarded. "Earlier, you referred to me as your girl. The manner in which you said it…" She hesitated, eyes large and uncertain. For the first time, Aethyta recognized how young her daughter truly was. "Am I?"

Aethyta grimaced. She hadn't exactly meant to reveal the truth in such an abrupt manner, but it was past time Liara knew. " It's a long story, Liara but yeah. I'm your dad." She offered a weak grin. "Heh. That makes you a quarter krogan, kid."

In the background, Aethyta could hear the measured treads of boots on the ground. Satisfied that her team had arrived, she allowed her eyes to close. As darkness overtook her, she heard Liara's voice softly chide, "I have a name; it is not kid."


	4. Chapter 4 Liara Wants Answers

A/N Thanks so much for the reviews. I love 'em!

A little note about Liara. This Liara...Priestess Liara...has had a very different life than the shy scientist we know from the series. It's been informed by a very different set of experiences and her personality reflects that. She does evolve, I promise... but she's going to need all that backbone further down the line.

**Liara Wants Answers**

* * *

Liara stood on the balcony of Aethyta's apartment, her restless eyes following the streams of shuttles as they flowed around and between the towering buildings of Tayseri ward. The ebb and flow of the commuter traffic reminded her of the ocean. If she looked off into the distance without focusing on any particular point, she could almost imagine the sky stretching above was water, and the shuttles brightly colored schools of fish darting between sparkling stalks of coral. She loved the sea and had always been near it, but it wasn't the reef and tides she missed; it was the breeze.

During her acolyte days, when she was very young, she had often hiked to the summit of the craggy spires behind the temple and stood atop the promontory where the swift inland breeze swept up the cliffs. The cool currents of air eddied off the jagged rock face, dipping, whorling, and dancing in all directions. In rare moments of childish folly, she would close her eyes as the wind wrapped around her and pretend it was a living thing come to carry her back to the warm arms of her mother. It never had, of course, and after a while she no longer wanted it to, but the unruly breeze had represented an elusive chaos that she allowed herself a few stolen moments to enjoy before climbing back down to the strictly imposed order of the temple. Eventually, she had come to prefer the secure comfort of order to chaos and had stopped climbing to the promontory, but she still loved the mineral tang of the ocean air.

There was no breeze on the citadel, just a languid current of stale, reprocessed air that moved sluggishly through the wards. Today, she needed no external manifestation of disarray; chaos stirred within her, wreaking havoc on her carefully cultivated self-imposed order. Her eyes narrowed bringing the ward into sharp focus and her knuckles turned white against the railing. Edgy and needing to move, she pushed away from the rail and began to pace the length of the balcony.

During the trip from Nevos to the Citadel, Aethyta had recovered from the worst of her injuries but had yet to divulge why Benezia had sent her, or what she knew regarding the nature of Saren's interest. Her teeth ground in frustration. It made no sense. She wasn't part of her mother's life. She hadn't seen Benezia in more than thirty years and other than the occasional, painfully brief message, she hadn't heard from her either.

She had long ago resigned herself to Benezia's enmity, though she didn't understand it. She had struggled to make her mother proud, to return to her affection and good graces as she had been when she was small. She had done everything right, and nothing wrong… except be born, and that was certainly no fault of her own. Asari pregnancies did not occur accidentally. If Benezia had not wanted a daughter, why become pregnant? If she had not been willing to accept the inevitable backlash of having a pureblood offspring, why take another asari for a mate? Why have her only to cast her away? And why try to contact her now after so many empty years?

She tried to ignore the pain in her chest as old wounds she had thought healed tore open. She'd asked herself these questions a thousand times and never found a satisfactory answer. Had the mercenaries not arrived to interrupt, she would have at least had some of her questions answered by Aethyta, despite the irascible matriarch's stubborn resistance. She would have submitted eventually.

She had pushed Aethyta hard with her will. Hard enough that the huntress had immediately felt Liara's intentions, hard enough to make her uncomfortable, perhaps even a touch frightened. Guilt flared briefly, but she quickly doused it. She had never been so heavy handed with her ability but something about the crass matriarch had grated her the wrong way. She had long ago deduced it was her dual asari parentage that endowed her with the ability to exert her will over the minds of others. If Aethyta truly was her father, she was partially to blame for the accursed gift and deserving of a small span of discomfort because of it.

She cast her eye over the city, and rubbed her bare wrist. The unchanging light of the ward offered no clue regarding the hour and Aethyta had taken her omni-tool. The nerve of the huntress galled her. How dare the coarse-tongued matriarch treat her this way! When they'd finally docked on the Citadel, she had been rushed to a waiting shuttle and brought here, to Aethyta's apartment. They had no sooner entered the than Aethyta had deftly taken her omni, posted guards at the door, and departed, leaving her speechless and staring as the door closed behind her.

She let her fury build and fill her, leaving no room for fear or doubt. Dedicated without her consent, abandoned by her father, and ignored by her mother, she had eventually submitted to the path chosen for her and embraced the conclave, willingly throwing herself into the arms of Athame. After years spent trying to gain the respect of her peers and the High Priestess, she had finally proven herself… despite her pureblood status. She was Rede, overseeing and educating Athame's most promising young minds, and though the conclave at Nevos was small, she was fiercely proud of the accomplishment. Now, trapped here on the Citadel, she could feel the fruit of her efforts slowly withering on the vine. She could not lose the life she had built for herself. If she did… there was nothing left for her.

Her palms stung sharply and she unclenched her fists and stared at her hands. Purple blood seeped from crescent shaped cuts made by her nails. Closing her eyes, she took a deep cleansing breath and willed herself to calm before opening them again and heading inside the apartment in search of medi-gel. She walked with measured steps and her head held high. Despite her mother's disregard, she was still T'Soni and Rede. She would not show weakness on which others could capitalize. She knew too well the cost. She would bide her time until Aethyta returned…when she did, the matriarch would give her the answers she deserved.


	5. Chapter 5 Three Matriarchs

**Three Matriarchs**

* * *

"She's nothing like I expected, Tela. Not one damn bit." Aethyta collapsed onto a chair in the consorts chambers, ignoring the ache in her side. Tela took three glasses from the cupboard and carried them to the table before retrieving a bottle of brandy from under the bar. Just as she returned to the table and began to pour, Sha'ira entered.

"Tela, you're pouring one of those for me I hope," the consort smiled. "Especially since it is mine."

Tela gestured at the three glasses, "I'm way ahead of you." She smirked at Aethyta as she decanted a generous amount of liquor into each glass. "Aethyta was just explaining how Liara doesn't meet her expectations," she said, dropping into a chair across from the other asari.

"That is not what I said," Aethtya reached for her drink. "I said she's not what I expected. There's a difference."

"What were you expecting, Aethyta?" Sha'ira prompted, joining the pair at the table.

"Someone who isn't so damn…priestessy." She lifted her glass and took a generous swallow. The brandy was a touch sweet, with a strong burning bite.

"I don't think that's an actual word, Aethy," Tela said. "She's _is_ a priestess, and apparently a pretty damn important one. What the hell is a Rede, anyway?"

" A kind of… advisor and professor," Aethyta replied. "It's an old title and there aren't that many conclaves that use it anymore. It's a role typically absorbed by the High Priestess or her Runah to prevent further division of power but apparently Liara is so damn smart they gave her the role." Her forehead knit in a scowl. "Some things never change. All temples are petty little dens of political shouldering and posturing."

"Liara has done well to rise to such an esteemed position so swiftly, and as a maiden no less." Sha'ira's fingers delicately traced the rim of her drink.

She nodded. "Yeah. Damn T'Soni's have always been overachievers." She eyed them over the rim of her glass. "She's just like Benezia was, uptight and pretentious as hell, but… at least Nezzie had some spark! Sure, she was a priestess but she had a wild streak, too. Liara is so formal I'm surprised she doesn't expect everyone to curtsy when they enter the room."

"Put it in perspective, Aethyta," Sha'ira gently advised. "Liara might be T'Soni, but she didn't grow up like a T'Soni. She was still practically a babe when she was dedicated to Athame. She has spent fewer than half of her summers at the estate with Benezia and once Benezia's primary focus shifted to Council politics, Liara was only brought home for events for which she was expected to be present as the matriarch's daughter. She's led a very sheltered life in a conclave surrounded by all those 'posturing' priestesses and strict order. Benezia even made certain her education and biotic training were handled privately."

"I wanted to talk to you about that, Tela," Aethyta interjected with a frown. "Liara was trained by Shiala, but something is off."

"In what way?"

"Shiala's a commando and a damn good one, but at the temple Liara barely knew how to fight." Aethyta gripped her glass, frowning. "How the goddess fuck did that happen? My kid should know how to protect herself…though she seemed to do well enough when she was pissed off at me. The superior little ass locked me in a biotic field before I could lift a finger, and her barriers are works of damn art. She's strong, Tela, but she's only confident defensively. You should work with her a bit; you'll see what I mean."

"Oh no papa, that's your job. Better yet, have her work out with your little protege, Aeian. Who knows what could come of it?" Tela smirked. "There's a match that would set the Houses ablaze."

Sha'ira eyed her thoughtfully, "You're troubled about her, Aethyta. Was there something else?"

Aethyta leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "Yeah, but I'm not even sure how to explain it. Once she had me trussed, I thought she was going to meld with me…"

"A forced meld?" Tela stared. " She wouldn't do that…would she?"

Aethtya arched a brow. "Why not? You do."

"Not with you I don't," Tela snarked. Using her biotics, she picked up a nevi fruit from a nearby basket and threw it at Aethyta's head. Laughing, Aethyta caught it in her free hand before it struck and Tela rolled her eyes. "I hate it and you know it. I only force a meld if there is absolutely no other choice and even then I often hesitate." She shrugged lightly, "But as a Spectre, I have to do what needs to be done, even if it turns my stomach. It's part of the job." Nabbing the fruit from Aethyta she began to peel it. "So she _didn't_ try to meld with you?"

"No, she didn't, but I could feel her. Not like a meld… I could feel her intentions, if that makes any sense." she shook her head, fighting a shiver at the recollection. "Like I said, it's difficult to explain but it warrants further investigation." She gave Sha'ira a meaningful look.

"Interesting," Sha'ira inclined her head. "I'll see if I pick up anything when we meet. What do you think it means?"

"I haven't got a clue and now that Nezzie's with Saren…" She rested her forehead in her hands and closed her eyes. "Goddess fucking damn it! You know me; I need to _do_ something. Patience was always Benezia's strength, not mine." She lifted her eyes and held Tela's, dreading what she might say. "Were you able to talk to Tevos?"

"Yes, and it's not good. Tevos confirmed the reports. Benezia has been marked a traitor for working with Saren and she's been implicated in the attack on Eden Prime. A young quarian isolated an audio file from one of Saren's geth and Benezia's voice was on it. I listened to it myself just to be certain. It's definitely her and…" Tela hesitated. "She said some pretty damning things, Aethy. The only good thing to come of it is that Saren has been stripped of his Spectre status, so his resources are going to become a lot more limited." Leaning back in her chair she propped her feet on the table and bit into the purple fleshed fruit. "Oh, and the Council has sent the newly inducted human Spectre after them."

Aethyta's brows lifted. "I thought the candidate they were considering got mind-fucked by the beacon on Eden Prime?"

"Hmm hmm," Still chewing, Tela nodded. "The Alliance submitted another candidate and to pacify them the Council approved the petition. I can't really say I blame the humans for being angry; a lot of innocent people died on Eden Prime."

"We need to move quickly then," Sha'ira's eyes became guarded. "Do you think Liara is ready, Aethyta? This is all very sudden and unexpected for us. It will be exponentially more difficult for her."

"She has to be, whether any of us like it or not," she said, her voice tight with regret. "Benezia betrayed Liara to Saren."

Tela tensed. "You're certain it was her?"

Aethyta nodded, recalling the call from Benezia that had prompted her to go to Nevos. "It's the only reasonable explanation. We've covered our tracks to well. The only way Saren could have known about Liara is from Benezia. What I don't understand is _why _or _how_. She loves Liara more than anything. She's dedicated her life to keeping Liara hidden and safe so why would she tell Saren about her?" She shook her head. "I'm scared for her. Benezia is not herself. Something is wrong… really wrong."

Sha'ira rose and circled the table to wrap her arms around Aethyta's shoulders. "Benezia loves you, Aethy and she loves Liara. She always has and she always will but right now, she's doing what needs to be done. We have to trust her, and we have to take care of your daughter so that when the time is right _she _can do what needs to be done."

Aethyta nodded. "The only problem is, we don't know what that is, exactly." She patted Sha'ira's arm before pushing away from the table and rising to her feet. "I'm going to pick up some supplies. We'll meet at my place in a couple of hours. I don't want to leave Liara there alone for long, and I don't want to move her unless I have to. Saren has a lot of fans here who won't give a crap about his Spectre status so long as his credits are good. Be sure you take all necessary precautions. If Benezia is compromised to the point that she told Saren about Liara, there is a good chance she told him about who is protecting her as well."


	6. Chapter 6 Undue Influence

**Undue Influence**

* * *

Aethyta entered the elevator, placed the grocery tote on the floor and shifted the bundle of parcels she carried to the arm on her uninjured side. She liked to think she healed more rapidly than most thanks to her krogan father but though she was moving more easily, her side was still tender.

"_Greetings Matriarch Aethyta_," said the lift VI as the elevator began rising to her apartment.

For once, Aethyta was glad for the lift's slow pace. Liara was going to be royally pissed about being confined to the apartment, but she hadn't seen any way to avoid it. News of Saren's treachery would spread like fire through dry grass but the loss of his Spectre status would mean little to his less scrupulous contacts.

She had hoped the return trip from Nevos would provide her and Liara an opportunity to talk. She wanted to get to know her daughter better, to understand why she was so damn…priestessy. _Damn it, it's a word if I say it is. _ But, between her injuries and the pressing need for news from her own contacts there hadn't been time. Liara's withdrawal from her and the crew hadn't helped matters. Liara had paid a brief visit to the medical bay…a visit she barely remembered…and had then retreated to a storage closet…a _storage closet for fuck's sake!_…where she'd set up a cot and studiously avoided everyone for the remainder of the trip. The Aeleron's communal sleeping quarters were a apparently a bit too cozy for Priestess T'Soni.

When she finally woke, Aethyta had waited for Liara to reappear but the kid hadn't. As much as she fought it, Liara's absence felt like rejection. It hurt and it pissed her off, damn it. She couldn't shake the feeling that now that Liara knew she was her father, she saw her as nothing more than a disappointment and that made her angrier yet. So she wasn't from a prominent house and she wasn't particularly religious or political. She was still a matriarch, an accomplished huntress with her own ship, and she could mix the best damn drinks this side of the traverse. Whether Liara liked it or not, she _was_ her father.

The lift doors opened and Aethyta grabbed the tote and walked the short distance to her apartment. The commandos at the door greeted her with warm smiles. "Thanks for keeping an eye on things." She didn't need to ask if all had been quiet, they would have contacted her immediately with any concerns and she hadn't heard a peep in the few hours she'd been away. "Get outta here and get some rest. Better yet, go get laid and _then_ get some rest. You'll sleep better."

The commandos looked at each other and then back to Aethyta, their movements hesitant and slow. "We will gladly continue standing guard for Priestess T'Soni," Pharo said.

Aethyta frowned, hundreds of years of training kicking her senses to high alert. Something was off. She couldn't quite put her finger on exactly what it was, but Pharo's tone made her skin crawl. Pharo and N'venya awaited her response with eager eyes…too eager for Aethyta's tastes. She had handpicked the young pair and knew them well. It was unlikely they were compromised in any way, yet their eyes kept sliding to the door of her apartment as if the most valuable treasure in the galaxy awaited them on the other side.

"Have either of you spoken with anyone since I left earlier?"

"No, Matriarch. We remained at our post as instructed. We would never leave the priestess vulnerable." N'venya reached out and placed her hand against the door, brushing its textured surface with her palm. "We have not received any communications via our omni-tools nor entered the apartment to speak with the priestess as per your instructions." The last elicited a small frown of disappointment from the matron.

Behind Aethyta the elevator doors opened and Sha'ira stepped out into the hallway, striking and serene as always in a floor length fitted gown. "I apologize for arriving early, Aethyta. A client…" As she neared, her smile faltered. She gave Aethyta a worried look, but shook her head to prevent Aethyta from questioning her. Instead she turned to the commandos. "Greetings Pharo, N'Venya. I look forward to catching up with you later, but for the time being you must leave us." There was a pregnant pause as neither of the commandos moved to depart. "Now," she added firmly.

"Of…of course, Sha'ira." N'venya said, making no attempt to hide her disappointment. Turning to Aethyta she added, "You will let me know if the Priestess is in need of security again during her stay here?"

"You got it, kiddo," Aethyta said. "Now scram."

As the commandos entered the elevator, Aethyta reached out to palm the door. Her movement was halted by Sha'ira's restraining hand. "Do you not feel it, Aethyta?"

Aethyta stilled for a moment. "I feel…something, but I don't know what it is. Shit, you're the damn empath…" As Aethyta felt a familiar mental tug, clarity hit. "It's Liara. Goddess damn it, she's trying to undermine my damn squad! That uppity little shit! She and I are going to have a little chat about…"

"No, say nothing immediately," Sha'ira said. "I want to have a better understanding of this ability she seems to have. Benezia mentioned something years ago that may be tied to it."

"Don't you think you should have told me?" Aethyta said, shifting the bundles she held.

"It was long ago…during Janiris. I spoke with Liara on several occasions that holiday but I sensed nothing from her and honestly, I thought no more of it."

"Let's just get inside so I can set these goddess damn packages down," Aethyta huffed and palmed the scanner.

Entering the apartment, Aethyta strode into the kitchen and placed the packages on the table with a relieved sigh. She had been so intent on freeing her arms she had failed to notice it, but once divested of her burden she sensed a heaviness in air. She turned to Sha'ira who waved her over to the arched entrance leading from the open living area into the study.

Liara sat cross legged under the study window, eyes closed in meditation. The sensation of heaviness became a steady tugging, with Liara at it's epicenter as Aethyta quietly crossed the living room and entered the study. Sha'ira remained in place behind her, watching intently.

Intellectually, Aethyta knew she was angry with her daughter, but her anger evaporated, pulled away by Liara's insistent tugging. "Liara?"

Liara's eyes snapped open, cold fires of anger. "Aethyta. I suppose I should thank you for finally gracing me with your presence." Liara rose smoothly to her feet, her eyes never leaving Aethyta's. "Now. You will tell me why you have brought me here. Why did my mother send you?"

"She knew you were in danger from Saren," the words tumbled out of Aethyta's mouth as if happy to be released. "Your safety has always been…"

"Liara, come and say hello." Sha'ira stepped into view.

Liara tore her eyes away from Aethyta. "Drishni?" The affectionate term communicated her surprise, quickly masked behind a veil of propriety and restraint. Drawing herself upright, she dipped her head and touched her forehead. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Matriarch."

Aethyta, struggling to regain her emotional footing, half listened.

Sha'ira smiled at the young asari as she crossed the room and enveloped her in a warm hug. "Please, there is no formality required between us, Nithua." Brushing her lips lightly across Liara's brow she stepped back to better see her. "You have grown into a beautiful young maiden, Liara. It seems like only yesterday you were small enough to cuddle in my lap."

"I wish I could say the same. To me it feels as if centuries have passed since I was small enough…or welcome… to sit at my mother's feet." Liara's words were clipped, her voice cool.

"Indeed, Liara, I imagine time has passed quite differently for you," Sha'ira said softly. "It has been much too long since I held you."

Aethyta watched the exchange with mixed emotions, but her anger had returned in full force. "You two can stroll down memory lane later." She stabbed the air in front of Liara with her index finger. "I am not some goddess damn miscreant to be brought to heel! Nor are my commandos!"

Liara took a step back, her eyes like chipped ice. "I will not speak with you if you insist on using such deplorable language."

"Yes you damn well will!" Aethyta followed, her finger nearly touching the tip of Liara's nose. "If you want to be pissed off at me, Oh Visage of Divine Perfection, fine! But you will _not_ manipulate my squad! This is not a temple and we are not your goddess damn followers!"

"How well I know it!" Liara spit, eyes narrowed to sapphire slits. "I have been torn from my home, forced onto a _reeking_, cramped, and noisy ship with people I do not know…"

"Don't you mean people you don't want to know?" Aethyta countered. "People you think aren't good enough for you?"

"I have been forced to wear this..this _thing…_" Liara clutched at the front straps of the commando leathers she wore, stretching them out for emphasis. Aethyta barely registered them as Tela's.

"Now hold on just a goddess damn minute! It is not my fault we didn't have enough time to collect your things!"

"And as if that wasn't enough, a huntress I have never before met nor seen… who has never _once_ contacted me in one hundred and six years, _claims_ to be my father…"

"Enough!" Aethyta leaned into Liara until their foreheads nearly touched. "The Aeleron isn't a luxury transport princess, it's a goddess damn frigate! Those people on board voluntarily accompanied me to ensure your safety, and any one of them would take a bullet for you without a second thought! Those leathers were given to you by a commando who has been sworn to protect you since you were still on the tit! I _am_ your father, and in case you forgot, this huntress nearly _died_ to ensure your safety, _Oh Great One_!"

Liara's balled fists flared blue and wisps of dark energy danced up her arms. "Do not mock me! You have taken me from everything I have ever known and carted me half way across the galaxy like some sort of…."

At a sudden and bright flash from the doorway, Aethyta spun, instinctively placing her body protectively in front of Liara's. The kid might be a royal pain in the ass, but she was _her_ royal pain, damn it.

""Down girl." From the doorway, Tela smirked as her omni-tool blinked off. "Sorry, I just had to capture that little moment for posterity. You wouldn't believe how alike you two look when you're angry." She smiled brightly as Aethyta and Liara fumed. "Do you see it, Sha'ira?"

"Oh yes," Sha'ira chuckled. "Send me a copy of that, will you?"

"Ha ha," Aethyta drawled. "Laugh it up you two." She'd ask for her copy later…when Liara couldn't overhear.

Liara stood so still and stiff she could have been carved from ice. Sha'ira glanced at Tela. "Tela, why don't you take Aethyta into the living room and pour her a drink while I have a word Liara."

As the pair left the room, Sha'ira took Liara's hand and led her to a low sofa in the corner where she bid her sit. "I imagine you have many questions, Nithua."

"Yes. I do." Liara's voice held no warmth. "You knew Aethyta was my father." It was not a question.

"Yes, Nithua."

"And yet neither you nor Benezia ever told me, _Drishni,_" Liara said hotly. "Despite how I begged for the knowledge?"

Sha'ira could sense Liara's tumultuous emotions, like a dark storm of hurt, anger, and betrayal. Even as a very young child, her sister's daughter had been like a little matriarch at Benezia's side, graceful in word and deed, the epitome of asari poise and restraint…now she was close to breaking.

"Liara, please child, let me offer you the comfort and solace of a familiar mind's touch."

Liara scowled, "I am no longer a child, Sha'ira. I do not need…"

"You are wrong. You _do_ need. I can sense your turmoil. Your uncertainty and pain."

Liara's eyes filled with tears. She slumped in defeat and took Sha'ira's hands in her own. "If you wish to ease my pain then tell me what is going on, Drishni…please. Why have I been brought here? Where is mother?"

Sha'ira smiled softly. "That is the reason we have gathered, which you would already know had you not nearly attacked your father when we arrived."

Liara freed a hand to swipe at her eyes. "Yes, well…she is very frustrating. I do not understand why, but she gets under my skin like no one I have ever met."

She chuckled softly. "Yes, she is abrupt and rough around the edges, but she means well."

"Drishni, what did she mean about her commandos? As irritating as it has been to remain in the dark and confined here, I have not acted against them in any way…nor would I."

"Liara, tell me…as you sat here meditating, what were you thinking about? Where was your energy focused?"

Liara's cheeks flushed and she breathed a guilty sigh, "I was trying to find a sense of peace, but…I was thinking about holding Aethyta upside down in a stasis field until she answered all of my questions."

Sha'ira smothered a smile. _My Nithua…I forget how very young you are. _She reached out and lightly touched Liara's arm. "When we arrived, the commandos at the door were behaving rather oddly. They were very reluctant to leave their posts."

Liara's brow knit in confusion. "I am not certain I understand. What has that to do with me?"

"They were reluctant to leave because _you_ were the person they were guarding." At Liara's continued bafflement, Sha'ira shook her head. "You really don't know, do you?"

Liara's chin lifted and her voice chilled, "I assure you I do not, though it is not for failing to ask."

Sha'ira squeezed Liara's hand. "No, please…do not mistake me. You have a special skill, do you not? It is like my empathy…like a reflex, an intrinsic part of who you are. You can influence the people around you, can you not?"

Liara's hand tensed in hers and her eyes filled with despair. "Yes…I…it is an ugly thing and I do not speak of it. Have you ever heard of such a thing, Drishni? Of other asari with the same ability?"

"No. No I have not and I can see why you would think it ugly, but it is not, Liara, because _you_ are not. Like your biotics, your gift can be a useful tool or it can be a weapon, and Aethyta has already told me of your tendency to defend rather than attack. I doubt you would use it for ill."

"I do not want to hurt anyone, much less control them," her brow furrowed. "Except for Aethyta," she confessed, cheeks once again coloring with guilt. "But that is only to get the answers she has denied me…and because of her constant swearing."

Sha'ira laughed. "Yes, I can understand your motivations; your father is a very stubborn asari." She lifted a brow, "Much like someone else I know." Her expression grew serious. "Nithua, hear me. Whether for good or ill, how you use your gift is up to you. If you do not wish to hurt or manipulate anyone then do not. It is really as simple as that. However you must be careful. Your gift, like your biotics, is very strong and I fear you have been accidentally using it. Now, the stories your mother told me begin to make sense."

"What stories?"

"She told me how, as a child, all the staff at the house doted on you, as did her own followers. She thought nothing of it for several years, simply assuming they adored you as much as she and behaved accordingly." A smile tugged at her lips, "You always were a beautiful and precocious child, Liara and it was true, everyone near you grew to love you."

Liara's voice filled with barely contained anguish. "My mother does not love me, Drishni. I have not seen her or spoken to her…"

"Benezia T'Soni loves you more than the goddess Athame herself, Liara. She loved you from the moment you were conceived, from the moment you existed as a dream only. There has never been another child more wanted than you were, or created from such an abundance of love as she shared with Aethyta."

"Then why? Why send me away to Nevos? Did she think I could not see, as she turned her eye toward the Council, that her pureblood daughter was a source of shame for her?"

"Liara no! You will know the truth of your dedication soon enough, but hear me out. During one of my last visits to the estate, your mother mentioned that many of her followers had begun deferring to you in place of her, always seeking to do what you wanted even if it was contrary to your mother's own orders. You were still very much a child Liara. It is not something you would have noticed I am sure, and not anything you intended to happen but it made Benezia wary and I can see now rightfully so.

Today as you meditated, in your mind's eye bending Aethyta to your will, your power… seeped out. It made a sort of…circle of influence around you that I felt as soon as I stepped off the elevator outside the apartment. The commandos at the door became so ensnared they did not want to leave because you were inside."

Liara rose abruptly, face stricken and eyes wide. "But…I thought you sensed it because you are empathic. I did not mean for that to happen!"

"Of course you didn't! Be calm, Nithua, no one was injured by your actions, however you will do well to remain vigilant against unduly influencing those around you. I can teach you some mediation techniques you will find beneficial.; they helped me a great deal when I was young and growing into my own gift."

Liara nodded, though her stricken expression darkened with doubt. "Is it everyone?" she said softly. " Has anyone who has ever shown me kindness or support only done so because I have unknowingly manipulated them? I cannot tell you Drishni, how I have struggled _not_ to use my ability. I have endured years of…of sneers and jibes that I could have easily avoided had I simply willed my peers to…to like and respect me, but I did not. I _would not. _Respect unearned is not respect at all, and now…"

_My little Liara…why do you doubt yourself so?_ "No, Liara… I will not lie and say your strong will has played no part, but it is doubtful it has played the part you're thinking. You are an intelligent, thoughtful, and diligent maiden, the very epitome of Athame's desires for the asari…"

"I want to believe that is true, but I know it is not." Liara held herself stiffly and her voice sounded so defeated and small Sha'ira could not help but pull the young asari into her arms. She placed a gentle kiss on each of Liara's cheeks.

"Come, let us meet with your father and get the answers for which you have been waiting. Answers freely given."


	7. Chapter 7 The Truth Will Out

**The Truth Will Out**

* * *

Aethyta broke off her conversation with Tela as Sha'ira entered the living room trailed by a surprisingly subdued Liara. A closer look at her daughter revealed red-rimmed eyes, as if Liara had been crying and a heavy lump formed in her throat forcing her to swallow repeatedly.

Liara's anger and indifference she could handle. Her tears were another matter entirely. She had spent years…_years…_worrying for Liara's safety, always primed for danger and ready to leap in and eliminate any potential threat to her physical safety. Now Liara's emotional well being was threatened but she had absolutely no idea how to intervene when there was nothing she could actually shoot. An unexpectedly fierce sense of protectiveness had her on her feet and at Liara's side before her brain fully registered the movement. "Are you alright, kid?"

Liara didn't answer, but studied her silently, her expression shifting so rapidly Aethyta couldn't keep track. In the kid's eyes she clearly read anger, pain, frustration and something vaguely reminiscent of hope. Hope was good. "I'm sorry about earlier. I'm, uh, not always as good at controlling my temper as I probably should be."

Liara's eyes softened and the corner of her lips tilted slightly, "Well, you_ are_ half krogan, are you not?"

Aethyta returned the smile. "Yeah..I'm so thick headed I forget how difficult this must be for you, so..uh…" Damn it. She was an idiot. She hadn't forgotten. She'd been so distracted by keeping Liara safe and so worried about Benezia she hadn't really stopped to consider how Liara felt at all. No wonder Liara had treated her like an ass…she'd acted like one. Liara had too, but she was the matriarch, the father…she should at least say something helpful. She wracked her brain for just the right words and all she could find was_ kill it! Kill it with fire! _ Damn it, why were words so hard? Benezia would have known what to say. She would have said something comforting and wise that would have put Liara at ease.

"Perhaps I could have shown more restraint as well." Liara confessed, still studying her intently as if trying to gauge her mood. She must have sensed her discomfort. "Do you have any elasa?" Aethyta grabbed the question like a lifeline and yanked herself free from the sucking undertow of sudden onset paternity.

"Yeah, Little Wing, I do." She retreated to the bar and returned with Liara's drink, motioning for her to the sofa sit as she placed it in her hand and dropped onto the ottoman directly in front of her, sitting so close their knees nearly touched.

Crap. This was never going to get any easier so she might as well get it over with. "I'm sure you have at least a thousand questions brewing in that head of yours but before you start asking, it'll be better if I tell you the whole story first. I'll apologize now because…well, it's going to be a lot to take in, but just…uh, let me tell it and I'll answer any questions you have after. Does that sound fair enough?"

Liara fixed her with expectant eyes and nodded wordlessly.

"Okay," she exhaled slowly. "Okay." She was unsure where to start but as she looked into her daughter's eyes, still so much the same as they had been when she had first seen them, she suddenly knew. "The night you were born was the best night of my life, kid. Benezia and I had been bonded for almost a hundred years, and she…we…decided to have a daughter. So, I uh, knocked your mother up…"

Liara's brow twitched up. "Knocked her up?"

"Yes, I got her pregnant and a year later, she popped you out…at the temple on Thessia." She paused, torn between smiling and crying as cherished memories sprang to life in her mind's eye. " Anyway, there you were all tiny and blue and perfect and Benezia…damn, she was radiant. She had that new mom glow, like she'd just been handed the key to the damn universe and I…I was speechless because I had never seen anything as beautiful as her holding you." She froze as Liara's eyes welled with tears. "Aw, don't cry Little Wing."

"I have waited one hundred and six years to know the truth," Liara said softly. "I do not think I can _not_ cry."

Aethyta nodded in understanding and continued. "So there you both were, so perfect. Goddess, I felt ten feet tall just looking at you. Nezzie was smiling as she counted all your little toes and all your tiny fingers like new mothers always apparently do…and then, uh…then things got weird. Benezia shoved you into my arms and told me to take you to her room, not to let anyone see you. She was freaked out. I didn't know why but after more than a hundred years together I knew not to question her…Nezzie's got quite a temper herself."

Liara tensed and her eyes darkened. "She didn't want me because I am a pure…"

"Don't you dare say that filthy word!" She snapped "Not in my house, not to me, not ever! Nezzie wanted you desperately; we both did. She loved you, loved being pregnant with you…she sang songs to you and talked to you for hours before you were even born." They both had, but she wasn't about to say that where anyone else but Liara could hear. "Neither one of us gave two shits about what anyone would say or think about us having a child together. We loved each other and we loved you. Don't you _dare_ disrespect your mother or what we had like that!"

Liara nodded wordlessly, her expression unreadable as she lifted her glass in trembling hands and took a drink.

Aethyta squeezed her hands together to stop their shaking and took a deep breath, calming herself before continuing. "So I took you back to her room and waited the longest two hours of my life…and two of the best. They were the only two hours I ever had you all to myself." She smiled crookedly, "You were crying because you were hungry. You damn near sucked a callus on my little finger because I had nothing else to give you. Benezia finally showed up and told me what had caused her to freak out. You had a…a mark, a silvery thing on the palm of your hand. Does that mean anything to you?"

Liara looked at her hands and held up her bare palms. "No…should it?"

"Nezzie said it was a story that very few were aware of, even among the high priestesses… Take another drink kid," she ordered soberly and waited for Liara to comply before continuing. "According to Nezzie it's part of Athame's oldest doctrine, the story…I suppose it's more of a prophecy really…. was supposedly handed down directly from the mouth of Athame herself to her first followers as a warning and a guide." Her brows furrowed and she sighed. "It's what you'd expect from typical religious crap…a daughter of two asari would be born with a certain kind of mark. The mark indicated two things, the imminent arrival of some sort of threat and the asari who could possibly end it." She looked at Liara pointedly. "I won't lie, kid, as soon as Nezzie told me I nearly laughed my ass off…goddess damn if _that _didn't piss her off… but she was dead serious. She said it was the reason asari became encouraged to mate outside our species once we discovered we could."

"I though that was to prevent ardat-yakshi?"

"So did I, and I guess that's part of it as well, but the original reason was because a bunch of dumbass priestesses got together and decided if no daughters were born to two asari, no prophetic kid could be born." Aethyta shrugged. "No kid, no cosmic doom, and so forth. Like I said, it was all hokey religious crap."

Liara sighed. "Need I remind you I am a priestess? In ancient times, Athame was one of a pantheon of goddesses. Coincidentally enough, she was the goddess of prophecy and fate and many of the oldest codices deal specifically with prophecy, though I am not familiar with the one of which you speak."

"Your mother is a priestess too, kid, and I said exactly the same thing to her," she said plainly. "Remember, I'm a huntress. I keep things simple… shoot first and if they're still wiggling shoot again." Uneasy, she lifted a hand and rubbed the back of her neck. "None of it made any sense until Nezzie told me about the uh…the beacon."

Liara's eyes narrowed."What beacon?"

"At the temple on Thessia, in an underground bunker, there's a hidden prothean cache. It's how the asari keep a step ahead of the other races in the galaxy."

"I fail to see a connection between a prothean beacon and doctrinal prophecy," Liara said coolly.

Aethyta swiped her palms on the legs of her pants and took a deep breath before continuing. "It turns out the prophecy didn't come from Athame at all, even though that's the way it's been taught. It came from the protheans, from information stored within the beacon. It was passed off as religious prophecy to hide its origins. The protheans created the beacons as a way to share information and knowledge…"

"I am familiar with the concept of the beacons," Liara said. "I am also familiar with Council law regarding prothean technology. How is it possible for the asari to have maintained such a secret for so long?"

"The asari were in possession of the beacon before the Council even existed, Liara," Tela said. "It wasn't moved to the temple, the temple was built around it."

Liara quieted as she considered Tela's words.

"Along with all the other information it contained, the beacon held a warning…the prophecy…which your mother knew about because she was involved in maintaining the archived information. According to the beacon, the protheans were wiped out by an advanced synthetic race called the reapers. Somehow, the protheans knew their days were numbered and that the reapers would come back, so they gave the asari an evolutionary nudge to better prepare us, and the galaxy, for when that happens. That nudge came in the form of technology, and um… genetic manipulation."

Liara lifted her drink and took a hefty swallow. "You are telling me the asari were uplifted by the protheans and that Athame's doctrine is based on a…a lie, a convenient fabrication?"

"No Liara," Sha'ira said. "It isn't a lie, not really. It is simply a different method of telling the same the truth. Do not lose heart, Nithua. Your mother is the wisest woman I have ever met. She knew all this and did not turn away from Athame's guidance. You mustn't forget that."

"During the two hours I waited with you, Nezzie went to the bunker and stole an artifact, a dark blue and green sphere. The thing gave me the creeps, but according to the prophecy, the kid with the mark needed to touch it. She put your hand on it, and it started to glow. When your hand came away, the artifact was dark and the mark on your palm was gone. It was you…you were…um, _are_…the Oracle." There was a pregnant pause as Liara obviously struggled to process what she was telling her.

"You are saying I am a…a genetically modified aberration foretold by a prophecy contained in a doctrine that is not doctrine at all but is prothean in origin?" Liara's eyes were wide, she sat folded in, as if trying to make herself smaller. When she spoke her voice was a strained, desperate whisper "I do not understand any of this. Where is my mother? Why isn't she here?"

Sha'ira placed a hand on Liara's arm, but Liara jerked away. "Please, do not…do not touch me." Her eyes locked onto Aethyta's and Aethyta's heart fractured inside her chest. She was Liara's father, and she was stripping away everything Liara believed in with every word she uttered. She hated herself for it, but it had to be done. Guilt gnawed at her gut and she suddenly had a great deal more sympathy for Tela whose job as Spectre too often put her in the same kind of position. As if reading her thoughts, Tela rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. She took strength from the touch of her oldest friend and kept going.

"Your mother…Benezia has always believed in galactic cohesion and cooperation. She knew that your birth marked the advent of the reaper's return and while the prophecy was intended for the asari alone, the warning was relevant to the entire galaxy. The reapers didn't just wipe out the protheans, kid, they wiped out every space faring civilization." Aethyta pinched the bridge of her nose, recalling the dread she had felt that night. "We were stuck, and you, less than a handful of hours old, were stuck right along with us." She dropped her hand. "Are you doing, okay kid? Damn, I know this is a lot to take in."

To her surprise, though her eyes shone with uncertainty, Liara took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I imagine this is as difficult to tell as it is to hear, but please…finish."

"The beacon gave us a warning and the hint of a solution. The only problem is, it didn't tell us _how _we were supposed to stop anything. It's as if the information was incomplete. We had no idea what to do. We both knew it was too dangerous to go to the matriarchs…hell, the matriarch's would've ordered hits on all of us. And we couldn't go to the Council with information that came from a beacon we weren't supposed to have. They would never have believed it, or they would have demanded some sort of proof…which we couldn't provide without revealing the beacon or you. Think what it would that have meant for you. You'd have been taken by some crazy bastard or killed out of hatred or fear. Nezzie and I would _never_ let that happen.

We decided that I would leave, that it would be better not to draw attention to your parentage. To keep you safe and hidden, you'd be dedicated to Athame at your tenth year," Aethyta paused. "For the record, I hated that damn idea but Nezzie felt you'd be safest where her influence was greatest. Working separately, Nezzie and I would build a network of resources and search for any and every clue. She took the upper crust, and I took the underbelly…"

"Hey!" Tela swatted her shoulder.

She eyed Tela, "You're just pissed because you know it's true." She turned her attention back to Liara. "My background is, uh…a bit more..uh, colorful than Benezia's. I merced a bit in my younger days so my connections were a bit more shady. Your mother, though, is an important political figure; not only T'Soni but a priestess, a matriarch, an adviser to the Council. She used her political ties and influence not only to search for information, but to build galactic stability, knowing it would be crucial in the years to come. That's how she met Saren Arterius's sorry spiny ass."

Aethyta looked from Tela to Sha'ira in a wordless plea for help. It was bad enough everything she was saying injured Liara, but talking about Benezia sliced her open. After this, she was going to spend what remained of the day getting well and truly drunk.

"Keep in mind, Nithua," Sha'ira picked up. "Since your birth, Benezia and Aethyta have been apart, each pursuing the same goal from very different directions. Relaying information from one to the other was not always easy or wise. Your mother joined forces with Saren, but we do not completely understand why. Initially, it was felt she wanted to be a bridge between Saren and humanity. Since the death of his brother during the First Contact War, Saren has hated humans, but they are determined to gain recognition on the galactic stage. Many, your mother included, feel they deserve it. Saren is a dynamic and politically charged figure, respected across the galaxy. Perhaps, she reasoned that at his side she could steer him down a gentler more tolerant path and the Council and the galaxy would be better off. We know from other sources that over the past several years Saren has become fixated on the protheans and prothean technology but he has been intensely secretive about his interests. Perhaps she was simply motivated to get more information about the protheans from Saren in the hope of finding out what we need to do. We cannot say for certain because since she joined him, we received no communication from your mother until a few days before Aethyta went to Nevos."

Unable to remain still, Aethyta rose and began pacing the room."About a month ago, Saren and Benezia went to Eden Prime. A prothean beacon had been unearthed there and I think Saren intended to steal it, but his plan failed. Some humans sent by the Council showed up in time to keep him from taking the beacon, but not before he accessed it. Saren ended up killing another Spectre, and his geth killed most of the scientists, a whole slew of civilians, and nearly wiped out an entire marine contingent stationed there for security."

"Mother would never participate in such an atrocity!"

Aethtya sighed. "She may not have participated directly but… following the attack on Eden Prime, the Council got their hands on a recording of Saren and Benezia from a geth memory core. I won't lie; it sounds incriminating as hell. You're going to start hearing a lot of crap about your mother but don't believe it. She is not a traitor. Your mother is the single most brave, poised, and powerful asari I know, but she's…trapped somehow. She's trapped, but she's fighting it." Aethyta stopped pacing and activated her omni-tool. "This is the audio feed of our last conversation…it's from several weeks after the attack on Eden Prime…from Feros." She had also kept the video feed, but she didn't dare show it. Benezia's face had been mottled with bruises and bleeding.

"_Aethyta_?"

"_Benezia T'Soni, goddess damn it…What happened? How were you hurt? Send me your coordinates and I can be there with a team in_…"

"_Aethyta, listen to me; there is little time. I am on Feros_."

"_Feros? What the hell for_?"

"_I am trying to tell you! I have done something terrible, Aethyta. There is an ancient creature here known as the Thorian. Saren…I…we gave it_ _Shiala. Please, let me finish. We gave it Shiala in exchange for information about the protheans to help Saren understand the beacon…the cipher. Aethyta, Saren knows! Because of the information from the Thorian he can understand his visions! He knows about the prophecy_!"

"_Where is he now?" _

"_He is…unconscious. After he received the cipher he experienced a great deal of pain and confusion as his mind attempted to process the information; he lashed out and struck me. I melded with him…to help him, and to discover what he had seen. Afterward, he collapsed."_

"_Where are you? I'm coming to get you and when I do that son of a whore is going to…"_

"_No! You must not come anywhere near him or his ship! It is…wrong, Aethyta. The ship. He calls it Sovereign. It is unlike anything I've ever encountered. It…poisons your mind! Even now I can feel it scratching at my thoughts and I do not know how much longer I can resist! Please, listen! During the meld, I saw everything… reapers, protheans…Saren's plans. Aethyta…Saren has been working to bring the reapers back! He wants to help them and he's trying to find a way to do it! The beacon held a warning and a light of hope. It is as the prophecy said… the Oracle can stop them but…Goddess…what have I done?"_

"_You're strong, Nezzie. You can beat this thing…please, just let me come and get you._"

"_No, I must go to him. I fear it is nearly too late for me. I must…I have to…You must go get Liara. Now. Leave immediately. He does not know it is her, that she is the one… but too often my mind is not my own. I fear I will reveal her to him. You must protect our daughter! She is everything!" _

"_Benezia, please don't go to him. I love you. Just stay there, I'll…"_

"_As I love you…I..I must go_."

Aethyta snapped her eyes shut as the recording ended, holding back tears and unable to look at Liara for fear of seeing the pain she'd had no choice but to cause. Her eyes flew open as a soft hand slipped into hers, its grip firm and certain. She hadn't heard her move, but Liara stood facing her, her own eyes damp with tears but her chin set.

"What must I do? What must I do to save my mother?"

Through her sadness, Aethyta felt a warm glow of pride as she studied the fearless resolve in her daughter's eyes. _She's so much like both of us, Nezzie…beautiful and smart like you, ready to jump into the fire like me. Goddess, I wish you could see her right now. _The warm glow was quickly snuffed by frustration and her shoulders slumped. "I don't know if we can, Little Wing."

"No. I will not accept that…I will find a way." Liara got the same small furrow in her brow that Benezia did when she was thinking. "It is clear we need more information about the protheans. They are the obvious link between the beacon and the prophecy, and between Saren and these…reapers. Is there an expert in prothean studies, or…"

"If you had any idea the number of prothean research papers I've read it would boggle even your massive intellect, kid. I feel like I should be ten times smarter, but I didn't learn a damn thing. All the research out there is in applied technology. No one cares who the protheans were as a people or how they died, they just want to find the next big breakthrough in weapons tech, materials, or drive cores. Goddess, what I wouldn't give for an asari scientist who studied prothean civilization instead of tech."

"Can we access the beacon within the temple?"

She shook her head. "Security is tighter than a salarian's cloaca and I'm not quite ready for my energy to return to the damn universe, or whatever it is you priestesses teach," she said with a wave of her hand.

Liara sighed heavily and touched her forehead. "That is Siari…not Athame."

"Siari…Athame…either way, going anywhere near that bunker or even admitting its existence is suicide. The asari are hiding a goddess damn repository of prothean knowledge from the Council and have been for years. There is nothing the matriarchy won't do to protect it."

"What of the Thorian creature on Feros that mother mentioned? She indicated it provided Saren with information…"

"That's not an option," Tela said. " I got an update from Tevos on the way here. Saren's geth nuked the site. They leveled the colony where the thorian was located and the nearby Exo-geni headquarters. There's nothing left."

Liara crossed her arms over her chest. "Saren is obviously hiding his activities. Do we have any idea what his next move will be?"

"No, but I may be able to find out." Tela said. "They've sent another Spectre to hunt him down. I can use my Spectre status to access any reports sent back to the Council and there's always Tevos to fill in any missing blanks. I believe there was also helmet cam video footage captured of the attack on Eden Prime, and the ship Benezia referenced during her call." She turned to Aethyta. "I'll check in at the Spectre office and forward it to you as soon as I have it."

Liara's brow rose. "You are a Spectre? My apologies Spectre Vasir, I was unaware."

Tela chuckled and waved off the apology, "It's unimportant."

"What of the artifact mother placed my hand against?" Liara asked. "How does that tie in to this?"

"That's a good question, Little Wing. I'm not even sure it was prothean; nothing remotely like it has been mentioned in any of the research I've read or from any of my contacts."

"Perhaps the answer does not require a prothean expert then, but someone more generally familiar with the identification of ancient artifacts. Perhaps a museum curator or a collector."

"I think I may know someone," Sha'ira's slim fingertips jumped to a pendant resting against her throat. "I met someone through a mutual client…a human archeologist with a rather eclectic array of talents. We have only met a few times, but she's…interesting, and something of a specialist in the acquisition and sale of art and artifacts.

"Does she contract with a specific agency or organization?" Liara said. "They may have an office here on the Citadel or Ilium."

"No, she manages all transactions personally, I believe…legitimate or otherwise."

"That doesn't seem like a very safe or lucrative business model…or very scientific." Tela's leathers creaked as she stretched out her legs and dropped her heels onto the ottoman. "So we have to go to her? Where the hell is she located?"

Sha'ira tilted her head, her expression thoughtful. "I do not get the impression she is in it for the money and I am certain she can ensure her own safety…as I said…she's not what one would expect from a scientist. She's on Horizon. I can arrange a meeting."

"Ooh! I've never been to Horizon." An animated voice spoke from the doorway. "When do we leave?"

"Aeian? What are you doing here?" Aethyta cast a sideways glance at Tela who smiled knowingly in response.

A young asari dressed in heavy boots, multi-hued skin tight leggings and a fitted purple tank top strode into the room. "Tela called earlier and said I should stop by… that there was someone here I'd be eager to meet." Her eyes settled on Liara and she smiled brightly. "Liara."

Liara's eyes traveled over the newcomer with barely concealed disdain and her chin ratcheted upward several degrees. "Yes, I am Priestess T'Soni."

"Whoa..so proper!" Aeian quipped. Liara fairly bristled in response.

_Well this should be interesting, _Aethyta mused. "Liara this is Aeian…uh, Aeian T'Goni."

Aeian emitted a strangled noise and shot Aethyta an icy glare over her shoulder as Liara blinked slowly once…twice…then dipped her head low and gracefully extended one hand, palm raised. "Shueth y shia aonane kiare, Jeie T'Goni."

T'Soni was an influential and widely respected house, but a great deal of its clout stemmed from the fact that is was an offshoot of House T'Goni. Aeian's family sat as close to the apex of asari society as a house could get in a culture with no centralized government and Aeian, as T'Goni heir, approximated royalty…though looking at her no one would know it. She dressed like a hooligan. Aethyta's lips curved. Aeian was also was the most grounded asari Aethyta had ever known. _Heh, maybe she'll help Liara get the stick out of her ass. _

"Aw hell." Aeian scowled and stepped forward, resting her palm lightly against Liara's."Shueth y shia non naio kiare," she replied softly, her armalic measured and precise. When Liara raised her head, Aeian dropped her hand and stared balefully at Aethyta. "Stop smirking. I couldn't very well just leave her like that. It's like a conditioned response. When someone says the first part you _have _to say the second part or, I dunno…bad shit could happen." Her scowl deepened, though Aethyta could tell it was a ruse. "Didn't you three explain the rules to her yet? Damn it, do I have to do everything around here?"

Liara's eyes were like flint. "My apologies if I have offended you, Jeie T'Goni." Aethyta snorted laughter; if that was an apology then she was an elcor. Aeian, as usual, was unperturbed as she held up her hands in placating gesture and offered Liara a warm smile.

"No…it's not you. You did nothing wrong." She hitched a thumb over her shoulder. "These jerks are the ones who are wrong. You and me? We're golden."

Liara's confusion was almost palpable, "I am not certain I follow your meaning Jeie T'Goni.."

"Please…really, you do not need to address me like that. At all. Ever," Aeian feigned anguish. "Just call me Aeian… please?" Sha'ira slid her arm around the young T'Goni's shoulders in a friendly show of support.

"As you wish…Aeian," Liara replied uncertainly before turning back to Sha'ira, her eyes drawn once more to the pendant at her throat. "How quickly can you arrange a meeting with the this human?"

"Soon, I believe. I will go back to my office now and contact her from there." Her fingers followed the direction of Liara's gaze to the necklace. "It is quite unique is it not? Perhaps you can do me a favor, Nithua." Reaching behind her neck, she freed the silvery chain and moved to stand behind Liara. Reaching around, she fastened the necklace around Liara's neck. "I have merely been safeguarding this token. Noa inadvertently left it behind when we last met, and I sense she may miss it. Will you return it to her on Horizon?"

Liara spun slowly, holding the pendant up to study it as she turned to back Sha'ira "Noa?"

"Yes, the scientist. Her name is Noa…Noa Shepard."

**A/N**

I really struggled with this chapter because of the prophecy concept. Personally, anything considered 'prophecy' kind of gives me the creeps. I'm not a huge fan of fate either, BUT…for a literary device, it worked really well here for several reasons. Liara's comment about Athame being the goddess of prophecy is absolutely true per canon lore. Also…we know Athame (and the earliest pantheon of gods) were actually prothean and that the things the protheans did/taught the asari were indeed perceived by the asari as gifts bestowed on them by a divine power. So after careful consideration, I went with it. Because Benezia is familiar with the beacon and its contents, she knows the truth and conveyed this to Aethyta after Liara's birth.

Aeian T'Goni's tragic recounting of Tiptree was my favorite 'eavesdropping' conversation in ME3. In a nod to my affection for her story, I have included here here but she is NOT Aeian T'Goni from ME3. She's more of an OC given Aeian's name in homage to PTSD Aeian, and she is, without a doubt, my favorite character in the story.

Shep will step onto the scene soon!

A thoughtful reviewer indicated the inclusion of asari language elements was a bit confusing.

SO:

Drishni= a term of endearment, roughly equivalent to "Auntie"

Nithua= a term of endearment, roughly equivalent to "Niece"

Jeie= a title that recognizes greater house status, roughly equivalent to "Lady" Liara refers to Aeian as _Jeie T'Goni_ because though Aeian and Liara are both maidens and both from upper houses, they are not equal in status. T'Goni is more prominent and powerful than T'Soni.

Shueth y shia aonane kiare. = a responsive formal greeting between members of upper houses. Always initiated by the lowest ranking person.

Shueth y shia non naio kiare= a formal greeting response that tends to make Aeian feel like a tool, but she says it anyway because if she didn't…I dunno…bad shit could happen? :)


	8. Regulator Repair

**Regulator Repair**

* * *

In an effort to relax, Liara stretched out on her cot, squeezed her eyes shut, and pretended the ceaseless hum of the ship's engines was the rush of the ocean. She laid perfectly still and forced herself to breathe slowly and deeply. A storm of emotions raged inside her, and if Aethyta asked her one more time if she was okay, she was going to unleash the full fury of that storm on her head.

She was not okay…Shiala, her beloved teacher and mentor was gone and she felt her loss acutely. Her mother was in trouble, trapped by Saren or his ship…it wasn't clear which. The galaxy was in peril, Athame was a lie, and she was part of a prophecy. A prophecy she couldn't think about too often or long without being paralyzed by fear.

No, she was not okay. The world as she had known it had been ripped away and her only defense against the insanity of it was to hold herself together by sheer force of will. Falling apart was _not _an option. So she lied, insisting she was fine not only in the hope that Aethyta would stop badgering her, but on the slim chance that it would eventually become true. Over the past two weeks she had put on a brave face, swallowed her insecurities and fears, and slowly begun acclimating to life outside the temple. It was very different and made her wonder if she'd ever actually been okay at all.

Had she? She thought she had found her niche on Nevos. It had taken many long years but she had been patient. She had watched and listened, learned and grown, meditated and studied and finally, after years of sliding among her peers like a loose puzzle piece, she'd found her place. She had slipped into the role of Rede and would have remained there, if not exactly happy, at least secure in the prescribed course of her days.

Her days had been molded around three key tenets: Order, restraint, and Athame. Order provided structure and security, a safe harbor in stormy seas…but her safe harbor was gone. Restraint was the cornerstone of the patience for which the asari were renowned. It was armor against rash thought, word, or deed. Restraint kept her gift in check and those around her safe…or so she had naively thought. She'd been diligently practicing the meditation techniques Sha'ira had shown her, but everyone she'd encountered was so friendly she feared they were not very effective. Athame was, if not precisely a lie, a close enough approximation that her faith was deeply shaken, perhaps shattered. She had been Rede for less than a handful of years but the thought of returning to Athame's service, even if she could have, was unpalatable. How many lies had been promulgated in the name of her once beloved goddess? She had been deceived and made to look a fool.

Yet she had gained a father. She held the thought loosely, too afraid to grip it tightly for fear it would slip away from her. It seemed inconceivable that Aethyta was her father but after finally seeing the holo Tela had snapped during their argument even _she_ could see the resemblance.

After spending the past two weeks with her, she was slowly beginning to understand Aethyta. The matriarch meant well… in her own way. She was unapologetically candid. She drank too much, swore too much, and her ribald comments about sex had sent Liara scampering from the room on more than one occasion.

But Aethyta was also wise..and surprisingly thoughtful. Her sense of humor was as dry as toasted bread and she was a rabid biotiball fan. She was actually beginning to like her, though she would not let _her _know that. Not yet anyway. Her growing affection for the matriarch made lying to her about being okay uncomfortable and difficult.

Groaning in frustration, she sat up on the edge of her cot feeling the incessant hum of the ship's engines vibrate through her feet as if it was as uneasy and restless as she. Her fingers drifted to the pendant Sha'ira had entrusted to her safekeeping and she grasped the trinket between her fingers, idly sliding it back and forth along its chain. Tomorrow they would reach Horizon. She would return the necklace to its rightful owner and perhaps receive answers in return.

A steady tapping at the hatch drew her eyes to the door. "Enter."

The door swung open to reveal Aiean, smiling brightly in shapeless and stained bright orange coveralls. She braced her hands against the top of the doorway and leaned in. "Hey Liara, can you come give me a hand with something?"

Liara quickly stood. Anything was better than remaining idle. "Of course...Aeian." Her teeth bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep Aeian's proper title from escaping. She doubted she would ever get used to the familiarity with which everyone addressed each other. Among Aethyta's eclectic cohort, titles, house names, and rank were abandoned in favor of birth names. In the conclave, those things had been paramount to the internal politics of the temple.

She followed the other asari through the engine room, down a service ladder, and onto a grated sub-level floor.

"Watch your head," Aeian cautioned before leading her onward.

Eventually, they exited the sub-floor through another service hatch that opened into a large workroom. In the corner, several large storage crates were arranged in the rough shape of a seating area. Two long work tables jutted from the side wall, each bearing an assortment of neatly arranged tools and mechanical parts in various stages of assembly. Compared to her room, the space was blessedly quiet.

She could feel Aeian's eyes on her as she took in their surroundings. "You have your den to retreat to…this one is mine." She nodded toward the farthest worktable. "C'mon."

Aiean led her to the back of the room where she picked up a large, flanged device. Grunting with the effort, she lifted it from the table and moved it to the floor. "I've been trying to get this regulator for the environmental system fixed but I don't have enough hands to do it myself."

"I am afraid I will be of little value in your endeavor, Aeian. I have little experience with maintenance or repair."

"That's no problem." Aeian stepped around Liara and grasped a crate, pulling it alongside the work bench and indicating Liara should sit. "I'll do the work, I just need someone to hand me stuff. Think you can manage?" she challenged, grinning broadly.

Liara nodded and took a seat on the crate as Aeian plunked unceremoniously onto the floor beside the regulator. She began removing its cover while Liara looked on, relieved the work kept Aeian's hands occupied. Since their initial meeting, Liara had wanted to get to know more about her, but conversing with the exuberant asari was like watching a one person theatrical presentation. Aeian spoke with her entire body. She jumped, crouched, and pantomimed. Her hands were never, ever still. She watched in silence while Aeian scooted to and fro, scanning the equipment with her omni-tool.

"Aiean…I know it is typically considered in poor taste to make such an inquiry, but may I ask your age?"

Aeian paused her scanning and rested her forearm across her bent knee. "Liara, you can ask me anything you want and I won't be offended. I'm happy to have you ask me any questions at all to be honest. No offense, but I kinda feel like every conversation we've had, I've been talking to myself… I'm one hundred and twenty. Why?" she asked as her hands began to mold omni-gel onto the device in her lap.

"I apologize. I believed you to be younger than I am," she admitted reluctantly.

Aeian laughed. "I can see why you'd think that. We're both maidens but you…you have the bearing of a matriarch."

Liara frowned slightly. The way Aiean said it did not sound like a compliment. "Yes, well my bearing, as you say, is in accordance with the expectations of my vocation." A dull ache spread through her chest as she spoke and she suddenly felt very lost. She no longer had a vocation.

"I didn't mean it as an insult, Liara. You're just not what a person typically expects from a one hundred and six year old maiden. Hand me that fusion tape, will you?" She nodded to the workbench at Liara's elbow.

Liara hovered her hand over the objects on the table one at a time while watching Aeian shake her head until she found the correct item and handed it to her. Fusion tape was apparently a sticky substance in a nondescript…and tacky…metallic canister. She rubbed her hands together and folded them in her lap. "Neither are you what one would expect from the heir of House T'Goni."

Aeian laughed, "That is absolutely…well, true I guess, but I'd say I'm," she furrowed her brow and mocked Liara's serious tone, "acting in accordance with the expectations for my age," a smile played on her lips as she shrugged, "if not my station. But enough about me…I'm always the one talking. Tell me about you. Not the official stuff from the house registries or Priestess T'Soni…you know…_you _you. What's your favorite food? What do you like to do for fun? What's your favorite vid?"

Liara couldn't shake the sensation of having tread these steps before. Aethyta often framed her questions in the same manner, as if Liara was somehow a separate person from Priestess T'Soni. She'd never known she could be. "Your questions are very informal…"

"This is what friends do, Liara. They get to know each other, they chat, they talk about their interests."

Were they friends? It would be nice to have a friend. "Yes, well…let's see. My favorite food is shanti, for fun I…" Liara paused. She led morning meditation, she taught the acolytes ancient histories, she coordinated instruction, she met with petitioners, she studied and translated texts. Though these endeavors were satisfying they were not exactly what she would call fun in a recreational sense. "What do you do for fun?"

Aeian shrugged, "I hang out with friends, I play holo-games, I read a lot…wonderfully horrid fiction. Um, I go to movies, I go out on dates, I dance but I don't ever sing because my voice is horrible. I take apart and reassemble engines just to see if I can...um, when I'm on Thessia I run on the beach every day."

"I run daily as well." Liara said. "The beaches on Nevos are quite beautiful, though not as lovely as Thessia's."

"Ding ding ding! You and I have just found some common ground, Liara. I did not think it was gonna happen."

"You have a very odd way of speaking." Liara gasped and resisted the urge to cover her mouth with her hand. "I am sorry. That was very rude of me to say."

Aeian simply smiled and shook her head as if to chastise Liara's reaction rather than her words. "When I'm not with Aethyta, I work at Nashan-Stellar Dynamics; they've got a complex on Illium. Specifically, I do material design and customization for engines…every kind of engine you can imagine. I love it because it requires a lot of hands on work. NSD is a human corporation so I spend a _lot _of time with humans and I've picked up a lot of their speech." She shrugged, "I like it; it's colorful."

Liara's interest was instantly piqued. The archeologist they were on their way to meet was human. Perhaps Aeian could give her some insight into what to expect, but she was also curious about Aeian's current career path. "How did you come to work for a human owned corporation?" Unsaid was that asari of the upper houses typically worked for or invested in asari corporations, when they did not own them outright.

"Because their engineering division is the best. The materials they work with aren't as advanced as those the asari have…and we both know why _that_ is…but the way they utilize what they have is downright amazing. You wouldn't believe how much I've learned." Her expression grew thoughtful. "Humans are an interesting species. The galaxy at large gives them a hard time because of the way they kind of burst onto the galactic stage, and it's really a shame. In my experience, humans are resourceful, intelligent, genuinely warm, and very innovative. The best mechanical engineers I've worked with have all been human. Most of my friends on Illium are human, the man I'm dating is human…"

"Your lia'nan is human? Really?"

"Why so surprised? Physically humans are more like asari than any other species and the males have _amazing_ physiques…well, mine does anyway. Their bodies are _just_ different enough to make things _very_ interesting." Aeian gave her a knowing grin.

"Truly?" She had seen holos of humans of course, and extranet feeds, but though anatomically similar to asari, she had been largely unimpressed with the galaxy's newest species. Though she did find the loosely flowing fringe that covered their heads intriguing.

"Damn Liara, you act like you've never met a human before."

Liara's cheeks grew warm. "I…I do not leave the conclave, and no humans visit."

"Holy shit!" Aeian blurted, eyes wide with surprise. "You really haven't? Wow. We've got to get you to Illium so I can introduce you to my friends; you'd love them." She nodded toward the workbench. "Wanna hand me that wrench?"

Liara plucked the tool from the bench and placed in Aiean's outstretched hand. "Your lia'nan, tell me about him. What is his name?"

Aeian smiled brightly, "Markus…Markus Cole." Aeian dropped the wrench and scooted over to kneel beside Liara. Swiping a grease stained palm carelessly across the front of her coveralls, she toggled her omni until a photo appeared. "This is him."

It was a candid shot, and judging by the angle, taken by Aeian herself. In it, Aeian was leaned back against the bare, heavily muscled chest of a dark skinned human male and smiling up at the camera. Markus's smile was for Aeian alone as he gazed down at her lovingly. Liara was surprised by the intimacy of the captured moment, and that Aeian would share it with her. "He is very…what is the human word used for men? Handsome?…and he appears to care for you deeply."

Aeian closed the photo, nodding. "Yes, he is definitely handsome…and funny, intelligent, warm… and stubborn," she chuckled. "What about you, Liara? Who is your lia'nan? Who have you ensnared with those gorgeous blue eyes of yours?"

"What?" Liara stammered in surprise. "Me? I…well, I don't…not really…there was almost an acolyte once, until I overheard her making disparaging comments about purebloods, but…"

"Shut. Up." Aeian said, mouth agape.

Liara's eyes snapped up. "Excuse me? I assure you, slandering the offspring of two asari is quite a common occurrence among Athame's dedicated and…"

Aeian shook her head, "No…I know _that_…and I'm sorry for it, if it makes a difference. Idiots who believe that kind of nonsense have no place in asari society as far as I'm concerned."

Liara was surprised at the vehemence of Aeian's tone. It was the first time she had heard her make a negative remark…about anything, and a marked contrast to her typical happy enthusiasm.

"I mean…I'm just a bit surprised because…well damn, girl…you've never, uh…_dated_ anyone, have you? Holy shit, no wonder you're so damn tense all the time!"

Liara closed her eyes and prayed for a hull breach to pull her into the cold vacuum of space as a wave of heat crept up her neck and burned her cheeks. She knew she was not like most asari regarding casual sexual encounters. It wasn't as if she wasn't curious, or never thought about it. Of course she did, but her experience with the acolyte had hurt her deeply. As she had done with most of her conflicting emotions over the years, she had buried the incident, opting to focus more on study and meditation.

A hand gently touched her arm. "Shit Liara, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Liara opened her eyes, "It is..unimportant, Aeian. This is just one of many challenges adjusting to a more…secular world has presented."

Aeian nodded and stepped back to resume work on the regulator. "So tell me about it," she prompted. "What was your life like before ending up here? I asked Sha'ira because I was curious about you, but she wouldn't really say."

Liara smiled, "I do not think you can necessarily appreciate the difference of the setting in which I lived, Aeian. I have spent the majority of my life at the conclave on Nevos. It is small as conclaves go. There is the temple itself, a modest farm and a vineyard…all half a world away from the cities. Among my peers, being the daughter of a powerful matriarch meant less than nothing, however being the daughter of two asari was a mark against me from the first day."

"Liara, do you have any idea how amazing you are?" Aeian began replacing the molded cover on the regulator. "We all know how underhanded and bitchy asari can be to each other, but you were put in a situation where you couldn't escape it, and you _still _succeeded. That's a major accomplishment. I've never been confronted with that kind of adversity. I've always dealt with the opposite…people bending over backwards to impress me or garner favor with my mother because of who I am. That's kind of why I'm such a stickler about the 'no titles' rule." Aeian smiled broadly,"You should be proud of yourself."

Liara stared, touched by Aeian's observations and unable to assemble an appropriate response. Aeian was…nothing like she expected. Yes, she slouched, wore shapeless, grease-smeared clothing and seemed not to mind the splatters of omni-gel that clung to her hands and arms. Her coarse language rivaled Aethyta's, and she had no sense of personal space. But she was also friendly, generous, and non-judgmental in a way Liara had never expected to encounter from a member of such an esteemed house. She appeared to truly treat everyone as her equal in all regards and her only expectation was that she be treated likewise.

Liara sighed, it was a bitter pill to swallow, but she was guilty of sharing the attributes she found reprehensible in many asari. She was not as friendly as she could be, and she was much to quick to judge and assume. She respected Aeian...even envied her… for who she was as a person, not her name. If she hoped to receive the same respect in kind, she would do well to emulate Aeian's open acceptance and humility and she vowed going forward to make the attempt. She had to remember she wasn't in the conclave anymore.

"I owe you an apology, Aeian," she said softly. "I feel very ashamed of myself…not proud at all. I spent years trying to fit in because of assumptions that were made about my birth, yet I have done the same with you. Once I found out who you were, I assumed you would be…well, not as you are. You are kind, thoughtful, and considerate…a credit to your house and our people, and it is a privilege to know you."

To Liara's surprise, Aeian laughed. "Liara, you're hardly to blame for thousands of years of asari whose pretentious, shit behavior made your expectations the rule." Aeian pushed herself up from the floor, dragging the regulator with her. "I'm just happy to be the exception," she said, smiling. "Now, let's get this installed because afterward, we've got some serious planning to do." Hoisting the equipment up to her shoulder, she headed for the hatch.

"Planning?" Liara's brow knit as she followed. "Planning for what?"

"Planning for who I'm going to introduce you to on Illium…we've got to get you laid, ari."

Liara stopped short, stunned not only by Aeian's use of the affectionate term, but the ease with which she'd said it, as if they had known each other for years rather than two short weeks. To be considered ari was an exclusive honor. Sha'ira was Benezia's ari, and Tela was obviously Aethyta's…she was apparently now Aeian's and.. it warmed her. Ahead of her, Aeian had disappeared into the hallway and she rushed to catch up. "Wait!…Get me laid?…What does that even mean?"

A/N:

lia'nan=lover, but it implies more than a casual relationship. A lia'nan is a true partner as well as a lover.

ari= sister-friend. An unrelated asari with whom one has a much deeper connection than friendship alone. It's an important distinction in a society in which close physical proximity, frequent touch, and melds are the norm. It is also, as indicated in the text, an exclusive role and is only held by another asari. An asari may have many friends and/or siblings, but they will only have one ari.

Liara is very surprised when Aeian names her ari. She likely doubts Aeian's sincerity because of the manner in which she said it, but Aeian has her reasons...which will be revealed later on.


	9. Chapter 9 Horizon

**Horizon**

* * *

Liara stepped eagerly out of the shuttle and onto the soft, leaf strewn grass of the clearing, breathing deeply as the afternoon breeze brushed her skin. Aeian's repair of the regulator valve for the environmental systems had improved the air quality on board the Aeleron, but it was still a ship. Nothing could compare to fresh, open air.

"Goddess, wouldn't it be great if there was some way to bottle this air!" Beside her, Aeian leapt from the shuttle, splayed her arms wide and threw her head back to inhale deeply. "Horizon is officially my new favorite planet."

"You say that every time we go to a new planet," Aethyta said dryly, though even her gruff voice seemed less severe than usual as she surveyed their surroundings.

"Well, this time I mean it," Aeian said. "I mean, look at this place!" Like Aethyta, her eyes traveled the breadth of the shallow clearing, wide gray eyes soaking in the lush scenery.

"Yes," Liara agreed softly. "It is beautiful." She was certain her expression mirrored Aeian's. From the moment she had looked down from the shuttle to see the forest canopy spread out under them like a plush green blanket, she had itched to get closer. Though initially reluctant, Liara was glad they planned to remain on Horizon for a while. After Sha'ira had explained the potential danger in remaining on the Citadel to the human, Noa Shepard had extended an open invitation for them to stay at her home while they investigated the origin of the mysterious orb. As her eyes swept over the landscape, she mentally made plans to spend some of her time here exploring.

An army of trees ringed the clearing, their branches reaching upward and inward to curl protectively around the open space. Near the center of the clearing, a patch of violet flowers raised their faces to the sun as buzzing insects flitted between their blooms. In the distance, steep mountains rose to touch to the sky. The air, ripe with bird song, smelled green and thick with life. As glorious as the sun felt against her skin, however, her eyes kept returning to the shadowy spaces between the gnarled tree trunks. Lured by the forest, she headed toward the nearest gap.

As she approached the first weathered trunk, a voice spoke from overhead. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Liara froze and looked up, eyes searching for the source of the voice. A human female perched comfortably on a low hanging branch in the nearest tree, smiling down at her.

"There's a perimeter defense grid that circles the clearing; you'll trip it about ten paces in." The woman grasped a neighboring branch and swung outward in a graceful arc, releasing the branch at the last second to land lightly on her feet. Smiling crookedly, she dusted her hands.

Liara watched, torn between fear and fascination as the female approached. She was lithe and lean, dressed in well-worn, fitted pants, tall brown boots laced to mid-shin, and a tank top that displayed the lean muscles of her arms and shoulders. The golden fringe on her head was pulled back, though several wayward fringes had escaped confinement to curl around high cheekbones and a square jaw. Face to face with her first human, Liara was rendered mute by the numerous similarities between their species, more obvious up close that a holo or vid could convey, as well as the intriguing differences.

The human stopped in front of her and extended her hand, eyes alight with…was that amusement? "I'm Noa, Noa Shepard."

Liara's cheeks warmed as she realized she'd done nothing but stare since the woman appeared. Grateful Aeian had explained human greetings, she took the offered hand into her own, eyes widening slightly at the warmth and blend of textures as she met her hostess's gaze. She could not be certain, but she thought she detected a hint of surprise in the human's eyes as well.

"I am…" she paused. _Should I give my full title? No…it is doubtful she would understand it. She is only a human. _"I am Liara, Liara T'Soni," she said, emulating the human's greeting.

The woman released her hand and dipped her head, "It's a pleasure to meet you Priestess Liara, heir to House T'Soni, Rede of Athame, daughter of Matriarch Benezia… and honored guest."

She blinked in surprise, but before she could formulate a response, Aeian's voice rang out behind her. "You're not going to do that for each of us are you? Please say no!"

The human's rich laughter danced into the clearing as Aeian and Aethyta approached. "I had planned on it, but I'll be honest, I was a bit afraid I'd muck yours up Lady T'Goni. You have quite a list of titles."

Aeian scooted in beside Liara while simultaneously extending her hand. "Aeian T'Goni at your service, and please...just Aeian will do." Aeian's smile grew a few degrees warmer as her eyes traveled intently over their hostess. "I'm only a lady when it suits me…and that's not often."

Liara stiffened and cast a sideways glance of disapproval at Aeian. _Athame give me strength… she's flirting with her! _

"Fair enough, Just-Aeian," the woman smiled, her teeth white against tanned skin as she faced the last member of their group. "And that would make you…"

"Aethyta." Crisp eyes sized the woman up as dark blue fingers idly drummed the holster strapped to her thigh.

"Welcome to Horizon, Aethyta," Noa said. "I'm glad you found the landing site okay. Even with the beacon it's easy to miss from the air if you just rely on your eyes. I'll send someone out to retrieve your shuttle in a little while."

Liara looked over the clearing and along the mountain. She had been so enamored with the natural beauty of the setting she'd failed to notice there were no buildings of any sort. "Move it where, Noa Shepard?"

"Please, call me Noa." Noa said, smiling. "To the main compound. This is simply a..reception area of sorts. It gives me a chance to see for myself who has come to visit."

"What happens if it's not who you expect?" Aethyta asked.

Noa's expression was wry, "As I'm sure your initial scans indicated, the clearing is surrounded by an automated defense grid. The beacon you followed here is attached to a sensor array that covers this entire valley. In response to the code I sent you, it began emitting a signal allowing you to find the clearing and disabling the defense turrets when you neared."

Aethyta nodded. "Nice work. I found the turrets but not the beacon."

Noa smiled. "You wouldn't have..it's underground and it deactivated when your shuttle touched down…"

"Reengaging the perimeter defense," Aethyta finished for her. "Very nice."

"It's not precisely nice, but it _is_ effective. You can only get here by invitation, and can only leave once cleared to do so." She gestured over her shoulder with her thumb. "If you'll just follow me, I've got a transport waiting to take us in."

As Noa led them into the forest, Liara's eyes struggled to take in everything around her but inevitably kept returning to the long plaited fringe swinging to and fro against the center of Noa's back as she walked. She was so focused on it she barely registered Aeian moving into step beside her and linking their arms together.

"What do you think of your first human, ari?" she whispered, making no attempt to hide the near child-like glee in her voice. "I'm usually all about the men, but damn, her legs are even longer than yours, and look at those curves."

Liara's face flamed as she realized her attention was indeed focused on the gentle sway of the subtle curves to which Aeian referred. She quickly pulled her eyes away and pretended to study the scenery. "Aiean, we are not here to…to visually dissect our hostess!" Liara hissed under her breath.

"You may not be, but when a pristine ass like that just happens to fall directly in my line of sight, I can't _not_ look at it." Aeian tightened her arm, pulling Liara closer. "And be honest, you haven't stopped staring either."

"I will not deny her…her fringe is intriguing." Liara stammered.

Aeian snorted. "Hair, ari! It's called hair!"

At that moment, Noa stopped and spun to face them. Her eyes caught Liara's and lingered for a moment before drifting down to a sleek black hover car set in the center of the path. Goddess, she'd been so focused on the woman's hair…_not_ her hips… she hadn't even seen it. Noa opened the doors and with a sweep of her arm, gestured them forward, "Climb on in."

Ahead of them, Aethtya climbed into the back of the car. Aeian ripped her arm free of Liara's and lurched forward, sliding quickly into the back beside Aethyta and leaving the front passenger seat the only vacant seat in the vehicle. Liara climbed into the front, sending a quiet glare over her shoulder at Aeian, who winked saucily in response.

Noa smiled as she climbed in beside Liara and toggled a switch on the control panel. As the doors gently lowered and latched, the interior of the car pitched into total darkness. A second later the panel lights flicked on, revealing blackened windows that completely blocked their view of the outside world.

"Why can we not see?" Liara demanded as she felt the craft begin to lift. The question came out harder than she intended, but between the stress of her first meeting with a human, the confined space, and Aeian's previous remarks, she was more than a little out of sorts.

Across from her Noa's eyes softened. "Sorry..it's just a precaution to preserve the location of the compound. I'll deactivate the screens and auto-nav when we get closer." She looked over her shoulder at Aethyta. "Your omni won't work in here, either."

"Yeah, I figured as much. In that case, I'm going to have a nap." Aethyta nudged Aeian's knee with her own. "Wake me when we get close."

Noa reached up and extracted three bottles of water from an overhead compartment. She passed one back to Aeian and flipping the cap off the other, handed it to Liara. "Please, take it." A smile played across her lips. "You look uh,…thirsty."

With a quiet thanks, Liara gingerly accepted the bottle and drank deeply. She had been much thirstier than she realized. She lowered the bottle when she felt Noa's eyes still watching her.

"My Drishni, Sha'ira sends her regards," she said, carefully studying the woman to gauge her response. The way Sha'ira had spoken of the scientist led her to believe their meeting may have been intimate in nature. She could not explain why, but now that she'd met Noa she found the idea oddly disconcerting.

"Drishni?" Noa's brows knit. "I'm not familiar with that term."

"I apologize. It was not my intent to confuse you," Liara said quickly, embarrassed by the blunder. Familial terms of endearment were intimate, reserved for the company of close family and friends and they certainly wouldn't be programmed into the human's translator. She had no idea what had prompted her to refer to Sha'ira as such in the company of a stranger. "Drishni is a word from an old asari dialect. It is not often spoken and its use is…reserved. Loosely, it translates to 'mother's sister' though Sha'ira is not really Benezia's sister."

Noa looked thoughtful for a moment, manicured brows drawn inward as she studied the unopened bottle of water cupped between her hands. "Is it ancient Armalic ?"

Liara stared in surprise."Yes…I am surprised you recognized it."

"I've only encountered it in writing, to be honest. I've never heard it spoken before." Her eyes lit with excitement. "Do you know it well? Can you read it?"

"Yes, of course," she replied coolly. _Does she think I have not been properly educated?_

Her expression must have conveyed her thoughts because Noa held up a placating hand. "No offense, it's just that I know it's uncommon." She paused, tan cheeks pinking. "T'Soni… of course, forgive my lapse. Of course you know it." She glanced back at Aeian, "And likely you as well?"

"Oh no," Aeian said. "Liara's the brainy one. I know enough to squeak by during formal occasions but I skipped language classes whenever I could….which was often."

"Really?" Liara twisted sideways in her seat to regard her."Why would you do that? I always found the study of language invigorating."

Aeian's smile dimmed and her voice held a trace of bitterness. "On Thessia, the older variants of Armalic were only taught to students from the upper houses."

Liara understood. Educated privately, she had missed out on the opportunity to form friendships within her peer group, but she had also been spared the pressures Aeian would have experienced in school. Because of the house to which she belonged, Aeian would have been singled out with a small handful of others for the classes, something her gregarious and fair-minded friend would have abhorred. She was beginning to understand why Aeian chafed at her title.

"It's just another in a long line of methods the privileged use to maintain class distinctions," Aeian said darkly.

"When you are a matriarch, perhaps you will change it, ari." It was the first time she had used the affectionate term and Aeian's smile rekindled in recognition of the gesture.

"You bet your sweet blue ass I will," Aeian said with conviction. "You and I will be matriarchs together, Liara. When we are, Thessia isn't going to know what hit it."

Reaching back with her hand, she gave Aeian's knee a reassuring squeeze and turned to face the front, starting at a sudden beep from the control panel.

Beside her, Noa reached forward, but paused just before toggling the switch, her thumb hovering lightly over the panel. Her lips curved as she regarded her. "Close your eyes, Liara."

She was so stunned by the sound of her name on Noa's lips her eyes snapped shut. Irritated by her response, her brow furrowed. "Why must I close my eyes?"

"Just wait…you'll see." A gentle noise buzzed throughout the hover car's cabin and light poured in through the windows. "Okay, go ahead and open them."

Liara did so, blinking rapidly at the sudden bright intrusion before gasping and leaning forward until her face nearly touched the glass. The view rendered her speechless.

Straight ahead, far in the distance, white water leaped over the edge of bare cliff and cascaded down a shimmering rock face to crash into a deep blue pool below. The afternoon sun shining through the spray cast brilliant arcs of colorful light in every direction as the water raced to feed the river flowing under the shuttle. She wanted to be closer. "Can…can we go lower?"

Smiling, Noa nodded. The car dove, dropping below the tops of the broad leafed trees that flanked the river and leveling out just over the water's surface. From the side window, her eyes followed the water as it churned along the stony river bed, frothing and whirling against the larger rocks before breaking free and rushing onward. Small, silvery fish leaped against the current, diving deep when the craft passed over them. Everywhere she looked, a new and beautiful sight met her eyes. When she felt the car begin to rise, a low hum of disappointment escaped her lips.

"Sorry Liara, but driving _over_ the waterfall is better than driving straight _into_ the waterfall." With the frothing torrent looming before them, Noa pulled the transport into a steep climb. A tight, strangled squawk rose from the back and Aethyta thrust her head over the seat, eyes widening at the wall of water. "Goddess damn it! Are you fucking trying to kill us!"

Despite the fact that Aethyta's scowling forehead was practically pressed against her cheek, Noa's reply was calm and measured, "No, I have no intention of killing anyone. I was simply showing Liara the river and the waterfall… up close…isn't it lovely?" She paused a beat and when Aethyta didn't reply added, "Um…there's a bottle of ryncol in the compartment under your seat."

Aethyta's head rapidly withdrew. A few seconds later there was a rummaging sound followed shortly by the distinctive ping of a bottle being opened. After a measured pause followed by the smacking of satisfied lips, she spoke. "Next time warn a person before you do that kind of crap."

"I absolutely will," Noa replied calmly as she offered Liara a conspiratorial smile.

_What an odd person she is. _

They crested the waterfall, continuing on in silence for a several minutes, Aethyta cradling her liquor and Aeian dozing. More than once, Liara pretended to peer at an imagined point of interest through Noa's side window to better study the human's profile. She found the absence of crests oddly disconcerting on a species so remarkably similar to asari, although ears… besides looking immeasurably soft… provided a pleasing aesthetic balance. Catching herself staring again, she returned to viewing the scenery. The absence of any sort of settlement was difficult to miss.

"Horizon is a beautiful planet, Noa. I am surprised it is not more densely populated."

"If and when the Systems Alliance dedicates more resources to keep this system safe, I'm sure more people will come here, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon. For now, the majority of the population is still centered around the original colony and they seem to prefer their autonomy. As for why this part of the planet is unsettled, the colonist's primary focus is agriculture." She gestured toward the forest. "For obvious reasons, this area isn't suitable for farming so it's been left largely untouched."

As she spoke, Noa veered away from the river, following one of its serpentine tributaries along a gradually widening valley where the trees periodically receded to reveal swathes of short, scruffy grass. A few moments later she veered again and began to descend toward a narrow valley snugged between two high ridges jutting from a steep mountain slope.

Noa leaned across her and pointed to the summit of the nearest ridge. "If you look closely you can just see the com tower peeking over the trees."

"We're close then… but I do not see any signs of habitation."

"Well, it's hardly a secret lair if it's obvious…the house is mostly underground. It opens to the back of this ridge. The surrounding valley is so narrow, its nearly invisible from the sky." Noa continued into the bowl, descending until they skimmed just over the surface of the scrub grass. Concern flickered across her features and she called back to Aethyta. "Um, Aethyta, I know this is a highly unorthodox request, but…either close your eyes or look down at the floor, m'kay?"

"Don't tell me you're going to drive us into another damn…" Aethyta leaned forward to see the rocky base of the mountain rapidly approaching through the front window. "Fuck me." Aethyta's head withdrew and seconds later, Liara could hear her grumbling from the floor of the rear compartment.

"Noa?" Liara's voice spiked with fear.

"Keep your eyes on the big rocks straight ahead…."

"I am not likely to look elsewhere, am I?" she retorted hotly.

"They aren't really there." Noa chuckled, slowing the shuttle as the rocks grew larger and larger. "There's a field generator creating them."

"You're certain?" Her heart began to pound against her ribs.

"Yes, I'm certain," Noa laughed. "Trust me, Liara."

"Goddess…"

The nose of the craft breached the field, sliding through it like a fish through water to emerge on the other side into a perfectly round tunnel brightly illuminated by glowing strips of light affixed to the ceiling and walls. Seconds later, Noa brought the transport to a stop in front of a large metal door at the tunnel's terminus.

Noa turned to her wearing a devilishly playful crooked grin. "Secret lair."

Despite her still racing heart, Liara's irritation evaporated and her lips curved in an answering smile. "_Underground_ secret lair."

"It's not totally underground…just the entrance…and the labs. Come on in. Let's get you settled and you can look around."

Liara followed Noa through the massive door and into a sleek lift that carried them rapidly upward through the mountain. When the doors slid open several minutes later, they stepped out into short, thickly carpeted hallway that led to a cavernous living room. "Go ahead and make yourself at home while I fetch Jeeves." Noa said. "I'll just be a minute."

As Noa disappeared down an adjacent hall, Aethyta plunked down onto a weathered leather sofa and stretched out her legs. "I'm beginning to wonder if Sha'ira had the wrong idea," she said as her eyes swept the walls. "What kind of sane person drives like that? Or lives under the damn ground?…I feel like a goddess damn Volus."

"We can't be that far under ground," Aeian said. "Look up." She pointed to shining apex of the vaulted ceiling. "That's definitely natural light, so this room sits right under the surface. This place is amazing!"

Liara had to agree, but not because of the home's location…because of the art. The walls were dominated by paintings from every species in the galaxy. There were human portraits, bold turian abstracts, and elegant asari landscapes. Grisly krogan weapons hung from heavy wooden plaques, mathematically pristine salarian sculptures sat on pedestals, and an assortment of small objects whose origin she could not identify rested on tables throughout the room. It was like being in a museum, but the eclectic assortment of well worn, comfortable furniture draped in colorful throws and pillows gave the room a homey, lived in feel.

Her booted feet sank gratefully into the plush carpets adorning the floor as she circled the room with Aeian. She was intrigued by their hostess, and her eyes searched for clues that might provide insight into who she was.

"She displays them all together rather than separating the works out by origin…or era," she thought aloud.

"That's because art is universal," Noa said as she reentered the room. "Every piece here originated from the same creative spark and every piece is timeless in its imaginative expression, so…no, I don't separate them. In my experience works of art…and people… are a lot more alike than they are different, regardless of species."

Liara's eyes narrowed as two round, vertically oriented lights appeared in the darkened hallway immediately behind Noa. Moments later, a LOKI mech, its torso painted black in the unmistakable shape of a suit jacket, and with a perky red bow-tie clasped around its neck, moved forward to stand beside Noa.

"This is Jeeves, my butler," Noa said. "Jeeves," she gestured to them each in turn. "This is Matriarch Aethyta, Aeian T'Goni, and Liara T'Soni."

Jeeves tipped forward in a stiff bow. "It will be a pleasure to serve you."

As Jeeves straightened, Aeian elbowed past Liara and walked around the mech in a slow circle, her eyes alight with interest. "It's got to be piloted by a VI, but…there's no way a LOKI's native hardware could incorporate it. They're drones, workers, simple machines with basic security programming and networking capabilities."

"You are correct, Aeian T'Goni," Jeeves replied.

"Whoa…voice or facial recognition suite?"

"Both," Noa said. "And yes, he_ is _ piloted by a VI…a very specialized VI." Noa propped her shoulder against the wall and crossed her ankles. "His hardware has been augmented and modified to facilitate integration. The material he's made of is lighter and more flexible than a standard LOKI unit, so he's more efficient. He's mechanically optimized to be stronger, faster, and more dexterous." She paused. "From what I understand you've a bit of interest in mechanical design…he's not an engine but he's a beautiful machine. If you want, I can show you his schematics some time."

Aeian grinned brightly, "That would be fantastic!"

"Excellent." Noa pushed off the wall and rubbed her palms together. "So, before you get settled Jeeves has a bracelet for each of you…you did bring them, didn't you Jeeves?"

"Of course, Noa." Jeeves opened his extended palm to reveal three silver loops. "Shall I distribute them now?"

"Thank you, Jeeves and yes." Noa plucked one of the loops from his palm. "Please see to Aeian and the matriarch."

Noa strode in her direction while Jeeves approached Aethyta and attempted to hand her a bracelet. Aethyta scowled as if she would rather tear the mech's head off than accept the trinket.

Noa paused mid-stride. "Take it, Aethyta, and please keep it on for the duration of your stay. It's a micro IFF. It gives you clearance to most areas of the house and marks you as friendly so the automated defense systems won't target you when you're outside." Their eyes met as she closed the distance between them and when she spoke again her voice was much softer. "Because that would truly be a shame." She held up the bracelet. "May I?'

She silently extended her wrist, not altogether certain what to make of Noa's behavior, but fascinated all the same.

Noa stood so close to her that she could feel the heat radiating from the bare skin of her arms and her hands were hot against her skin as they gently cradled her wrist. Her pulse quickened inexplicably as she caught the human's scent; Noa smelled of wind and leaves, and something indefinable that made her want to move closer, though she didn't. She was too distracted by the curling tips of Noa's dark lashes nearly resting against her cheek as she looked down to fasten the bracelet. The pad of Noa's thumb grazed the inside of her wrist, lingering for a moment, and her eyes flicked up to hers. She had no time to determine their color. Noa's expression darkened and her wrist was quickly released. She took a large step backward, as if her proximity was suddenly an imposition before turning back to the others. "Now that everyone is safe from sudden and painful death, Jeeves, is everything ready?"

"Yes, Noa. Winston and Wilson are en route to retrieve Matriarch Aethyta's shuttle. It will be parked in hangar two. I will see to the delivery of your guests personal belongings as soon as they return. Guest rooms have been prepared in accordance with your instructions. Dinner will be served in precisely one galactic standard hour and twenty four minutes in the dining room. Is there anything else you require, Noa?"

"Nope, I think that's it," she replied before addressing them. "I apologize, but I have some work I've got to take care of before dinner. If you'll follow Jeeves, he'll show you to your rooms and you can freshen up." She looked to Aethyta. "I don't usually mix business and pleasure, but I'm sure you're anxious. We'll discuss the purpose of your visit over dinner." With a final nod, and a wary glance in her direction, Noa pivoted on her heel and retreated down the hallway.


	10. Chapter 10 Hasty Retreat

**Hasty Retreat**

* * *

_No, no, no, no. _Noa muttered silently to herself as she beat a hasty retreat to the lift. _Bad idea, Noa….very bad idea. _Nevertheless, she spun when she entered the elevator, her eyes unerringly drawn back down the hall to the space her trio of guests had been just moments before. A vague tug of disappointment curled in her chest when she found it empty.

"Liara T'Soni," she let the name roll off her tongue. The asari was…enchanting was the first word that came to mind and she grimaced as soon as it popped into her head. It sounded too trite and hopelessly romantic but after a few moments of fruitlessly searching for an alternative, she was forced to concede it fit perfectly. She had been enchanted by the asari as soon as she'd seen her step off the shuttle, and even more so when her feet had unknowingly carried her directly toward the tree in which she sat.

When the lift stopped she burst through the door and into her lab, breathing deeply to cleanse the asari's alluring scent from her nose. Her nose curled in distaste as she caught a whiff of something sour…yesterday's lunch probably. She really needed to start letting Jeeves down here to clean more often.

She followed the scent to its source, a cup of curdled milk. Taking the glass in hand and holding it at arms length, she carried it to the the sink near the chemical wash, dumped its contents down the drain, and proceeded to scrub it clean. A smug smile played across her lips as she performed the mundane task. Her soured milk had saved her from an abject lie. For the first time in a long while…other than tending to her dish…she didn't have any work that needed to be done. She'd lied because she needed to escape the damn near magnetic tug of Liara T'Soni's bright blue eyes.

Her 'work' done, she placed the glass on the edge of the sink to drain and wandered to her desk. She could at least review her notes while she was here. Sha'ira had been pretty vague about exactly what Aethyta was looking for. When she'd called her, she had simply said Aethyta and her daughter needed her help…there was an artifact Aethyta needed to find, and Liara needed a safe place to stay until they acquired it. She'd only met Sha'ira a few times but the consort had always been as serene and still as a glassy lake. Unlike Sha'ira she was no empath, but even she could sense the matriarch's anxiety for the safety of the girl and she'd invited them to Horizon without hesitation. She was a sucker for a damsel in distress. She just hadn't figured the damsel would turn out to be so distractingly gorgeous.

Dropping into a chair, she tapped the her workstation's haptic interface and dragged the files for her three guests onto the screen, tapping each packet to reveal an assortment of data files. She tugged absently at her lip as she reviewed the matriarch's information.

Aethyta was a bit of an oddity…a matriarch career commando. Most asari her age would have retired by now, or at the very least would have taken a position as an instructor with an academy somewhere. Not Aethyta. She had received several lucrative offers for teaching positions and had turned them all down flat. According to the the data she'd been able to pull, Aethyta had served in a local militia on Thessia when she was younger, and had moved on from there to pull a brief stint in the asari navy before finally spending nearly sixty years in the Serrice Guard. While in the Guard, she'd gained a certain level of celebrity after she and only four squad mates had taken out over a hundred Blood Pack slavers in the Terminus and forced the rest to surrender. They'd returned to Thessia as heroes, but shortly after, she'd fallen off the radar. Rumor had it she'd spent the next several decades running with Eclipse mercenaries. Noa frowned. Going from the Guard to mercenary work was quite a leap and she wondered what had spurred the change. It mattered little. Aethyta would likely be as straight forward as most asari commandos she'd met.

With a lazy tap of her index finger, she expanded Aeian's file to study a picture of Aeian and her mother taken at a charity event on Illium earlier in the year. They looked so different she had a hard time believing they were actually mother and daughter. Yindra T'Goni was dressed conservatively in yards of shimmering cloth that covered her from chin to toe and her expression was the definition of dour. Beside her, Aeian shone like a tiny sun, smiling brightly in a yellow dress…at least she assumed it was a dress…there was so little of it she couldn't be entirely sure. She shook her head, unable to reconcile the glamorous, scantily clad maiden in the picture with the asari she'd met today. She'd expected a pompous, privileged maiden, not a sprightly asari in omni-gel flecked commando leathers.

Like Aethyta, the T'Goni heir was something of an oddity. Her mother, Yindra, was an influential and astute business woman. Yindra had grown House T'Goni to unprecedented levels of wealth by acquiring seemingly innocuous companies across several city-states, carefully and strategically growing them, and then conglomerating them with corporations her house had controlled for years. Yindra had a hand in so many committees and sat on so many boards and local councils it seemed a miracle that she found time to sleep…or parent.

Aeian had set the upper houses on their collective ear when she'd eschewed the pursuit of business for engineering. Not only had she relocated from Thessia to Illium, she'd chosen to work for a corporation in which her family held no interest whatsoever, Nashan Stellar Dynamics. It was an unusual choice, but apparently brushed off by Yindra as the asari equivalent of expected maiden rebellion.

The final file was Liara's, but other than a handful of entries in the T'Soni house registry marking the date of her birth, her first centennial, and her dedication to Athame, it was empty. It was almost as if Liara didn't exist, or someone had gone to great lengths to ensure information about her was difficult to obtain…likely Aethyta.

She leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms behind her head, and kicked her heels up onto the desk, sighing heavily. Liara T'Soni was trouble. There was just something about her. It was her freckles that were her undoing, she decided. …and her eyes.…or maybe it was the way she'd vacillated between rigid propriety and child-like wonder on the ride in. Whatever it was, she couldn't deny the immediate attraction she'd felt for the young priestess as soon as she'd looked into those big blue eyes.

_Priestess…_that was another problem. Not that she had anything against religion; she didn't. She was very familiar with siari, but the worship of Athame was an entirely different nut to crack. Asari were generally inclusive, but that inclusiveness came to a screeching halt when it came to Athame or any information surrounding her few temples. Athame and her providence were apparently considered exclusively asari territory and shrouded in secrecy…and Liara was a priestess of Athame. As was her mother, Matriarch Benezia who was currently wanted for questioning by the Citadel Council for her involvement with the Spectre, Saren Arterius.

No…the whole thing just added up to a big bundle of trouble and heartache and god knew she'd had her share of both.

Damn it…she needed a second opinion. She briefly toyed with the idea of calling Sam, but she knew exactly what Sam would say. Sam would tell her to stop ruminating and go for it in her perfect British accent because that's exactly what _she _would do. No, she needed a clear voice of reason…a pragmatic opinion.

Leaning forward, she spun on her chair and hit speed dial on the vid-com. A few seconds later, Garrus's face appeared…looking half asleep as if he's just rolled out of bed.

"Whoa…Garrus..put a shirt on or something will you?"

"You know…I only have three claws, not five weak little fingers like you, but if I did have the appropriate number of digits, guess which one I'd be saluting you with right now?" he grumbled. "Check your omni, Noa…it's the middle of the night here."

She winced. "Damn…sorry. I didn't even think about the time difference between here and Illium." A wide grin split her face. "Hey Garrus…do you know what the slang term is for showing someone a middle finger like that? It's called giving them the bird…since turians are avian, I'd say you've got it pretty well covered without the need for extra talons."

"Really?" Garrus drawled. "Well in that case…" The image flickered briefly as Garrus stood and turned, treating her to a grainy, wide-angled view of a very narrow, very naked turian ass as he disappeared from view. He returned a few minutes later wrapped in a dark gray robe.

"Some things should never be shared between friends Vakarian. Your ass just jumped to the top of the list of things that cannot be unseen." Noa said as he sat back down.

Garrus's mandibles quivered as he laughed and raked a taloned hand over sleepy eyes. "Why are you calling me this late? Is something wrong?"

A flush of heat spread up her neck as she considered how to best answer. "Noooo…not exactly."

"Aren't you supposed to have guests arriving today?"

Her blush deepened, "Yes. They're already here. Jeeves is getting them settled into the guest rooms."

"Then shouldn't you be playing hostess or something?" When she didn't respond Garrus leaned closer to the camera, eyes narrowing as he studied her intently. "Is this about a female, Noa? Are you honestly calling me at this hour because of a woman?"

"Maybe," she confessed. "One of my guests…"

"Spirits Noa! They just got there! How could you possibly have issues already?"

"Hey! I don't have issues!" She propped her elbows on the desk. "This is different. Remember Jalissa…"

"Of course, I do," his mandibles flared in a wide preening smile. "I'm sure the lovely and _talented_ Jalissa remembers me as well. I did tell you she was quite talented, didn't I?"

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead Vakarian, rub it in." Jalissa was an asari on Illium that she and Garrus had met at Eternity Lounge one night after work. She had been beyond stunning. Every eye in the bar had been on her that night, including Noa's, but she had left on the arm of a very proud turian. "Liara…Aethyta's daughter…she's like Jalissa only," she struggled to find the right words. She sure as hell wasn't going to say enchanting…Garrus would never let her live it down. "She's more."

Garrus sighed, "Noa…I'm not sure you're ready for any sort of entanglements yet…and you don't know anything about her…"

"She's got freckles, Garrus."

"Well that changes everything," he said dryly. His shoulders fell as he released a heavy sigh. "Noa…you don't know her. So she's attractive; she could still be a horrible person…like…" his voice trailed off awkwardly.

"Like Kasumi," she sighed.

She'd met Kasumi Goto at a salarian art exhibit on the Citadel…an exhibit for which she'd provided several prominently displayed pieces from her private collection. The attraction between them had been instant and intense and she'd let it carry her away. They had dated for just over a year, though in truth they were apart more often than not. Noa would be out at a dig, or compiling research data. As director of acquisitions for several prominent museums, Kasumi was often away visiting distant galleries or attending art sales. When they were together they collided like stars…in flashes of intense, blinding heat and Noa had fallen for her…hard.

In a rare move, she'd invited Kasumi to Horizon for a romantic weekend. She'd opened her heart to the tiny woman, it seemed a logical step to open her home as well…something she'd never done before. After a long night of love making, she'd awakened to find Kasumi …and several million credits worth of art…gone. Kasumi had used her. She wasn't certain which had hurt her more, the thief's betrayal or her own gullibility. That had been over a year ago, and her heart was still…tender.

"Noa…listen, you've just met this girl, and I've seen the files too…we don't know anything about her." Garrus stifled a yawn. "I'm not saying she's off the table…spirits, it's been more than a year… but give yourself time to get to know her. Then, if things work out…and her commando father doesn't kill you…see what happens. You don't need me to tell you she's in a tight spot because of her mother and you've got a job to do for her father first, so do it and try not to get sidetracked. I know you, Noa…better than you know yourself. You don't do anything halfway. Try something new for a change and go slow. That's even assuming she's interested."

She recalled Liara's eyes and the way they'd kept drifting back to hers on the transport, and as she fastened the IFF bracelet …the bounding, rapid beat of Liara's pulse under her thumb when she'd brushed her wrist. "I think she might be, Garrus," she sighed. "But you're right. I'll take it slow…and see what happens…Damn…wish me luck."

"Good luck Noa…and good night!"

* * *

A/N...So I almost didn't include this chapter, but I wanted to provide a Noa POV chapter (rare in this piece) and some additional background about Aeian, Aethyta, and Liara. I also wanted to get Garrus into the game and foreshadow the eventual arrival of Samantha Traynor. More important, I wanted to give Noa a hint of backstory and clarify some of her motivations. She'll get some more necessary fleshing out in the next chapter.

Don't hate me because of Kasumi. I love Kasumi...her story was so sad, yet she always remained remarkably upbeat. But she's a thief, and she fit perfectly here. Also, had it not been for Liara, my Shep would have been trying like heck to romance her.


	11. Chapter 11 Subtext

**Subtext**

* * *

Liara smoothed the front of her dress and checked her reflection in the floor length mirror for the tenth time in as many minutes. She had to admit, Aethyta had shockingly good taste for an asari whose primary wardrobe concerns included things like ablative coating and thermal clip storage.

On the Citadel, when Aethyta had presented her with a small mountain of brightly colored packages, she had feared she would find only leathers, light armor, and armor accessories. She had received those, too, of course. Aethyta was, well…. Aethyta…but she'd also had the foresight to purchase several functional, yet attractive outfits for daily wear, and two dresses.

The dress she had chosen for the evening was simple yet elegant, a modest single-shoulder gown with a side-ruched bodice. The muted vermilion color of the gown made her think of her mother…she had been wearing red the last time Liara had seen her.

Sighing heavily, she stepped away from the mirror and crossed the carpeted floor to the window to peer down at the tree lined valley far below. After so many years without her, it was difficult to believe Benezia wanted her. She was afraid to believe it, afraid to let herself fill with hope only to suffer the bitterness of disappointment once again. Still, she had to know. She had to look her mother in the eye once more, as an adult and not an aching child, and see Benezia's heart for herself. But first they had to save her.

Despite Aethyta's belief in the visions from the beacon, she found the idea of an advanced synthetic race capable of wiping out civilizations across the galaxy too…abstract and frightening to consider. The 'prophecy' left too many unanswered questions. But her mother was real…she was alive and breathing somewhere at this very moment and if fulfilling whatever the prophecy required of her would save her mother, she would do it. She would find Benezia, wherever she was. Perhaps tonight their hostess could provide the necessary clues to start her on the correct path.

"Noa Shepard," the name rolled pleasantly off her tongue.

She had been pleased and surprised to find an extranet terminal among the guest room's many amenities. After Jeeves had finished showing her the room, the door had no sooner closed behind him than she'd jumped onto the terminal and begun searching for information about the enigmatic woman, frustrated with herself that she had not done so before departing the Citadel. Then, Noa had simply been a human with possible answers and she'd been satisfied to leave it at that, but now…Now she was more interested than she had a right to be and for reasons she wasn't prepared to examine too closely. What sort of person lived in a hidden mountain home with such advanced security and defense systems? Why the secrecy…and a mech with a bow tie?

Her hasty search had provided remarkably few hits and she ground her teeth in frustration. It made no sense. It was obvious Noa was wealthy, and credits always left a trail, but like her mountain retreat, she had hidden it well.

Noa had obviously researched their backgrounds. She had known Aeian was an engineer, an easy enough fact to find, but she had also known Aethyta favored Ryncol, a personal detail she would not have found on the extranet. Perhaps Sha'ira had told her when she'd contacted her and arranged their visit. She pushed the thought away. Thinking of Sha'ira with Noa made her decidedly…uneasy. Again, she didn't look at the source of her disquiet directly, but it was there nevertheless. She had removed the pendant Sha'ira had asked her to return and tucked it away in her things. It was childish, she knew, but for the time being, she liked the idea of possessing something of human's. Perhaps she would return it when she had a clearer understanding of who Noa Shepard was and why she was so fascinated by her.

Behind her, the door flew open. She turned just as Aeian charged in, wearing a short, strappy, light green dress and a bright smile. Aeian paused half way into the room and let her eyes trail over Liara appreciatively. "Well damn, someone is dressed to impress. You look smoking hot, ari. Noa is going to love that dress."

She rolled her eyes and crossed to the bed to retrieve her gloves. Since Aeian had clarified what "getting laid" meant, it was as if the dam previously holding back her ari's tendency for flagrant sexual innuendo and connotation had burst. No longer checked, she'd discovered Aeian randomly spewed comments about sex as casually as most people talked about the weather. She didn't find Aeian's openness offensive, far from it…she was inexperienced, but she wasn't a prude. But her comments regarding Noa were a touch too accurate."No, Aeian, I am not trying to impress…anyone." Aeian's look said she clearly wasn't buying it.

"Whatever you say, ari… I don't think you'd need to try very hard anyway. I believe you've already piqued the interest of our hostess."

She pulled on her gloves, shimmering strips of color that reached her elbow and left her fingers bare, and adjusted her bracelet, cheeks heating as she recalled Noa's nimble fingers fastening it. "I am quite certain you are mistaken, Aeian, and that is…that is not why we are here."

"But it could be _another_ reason we're here, if you'd let it." Aeian replied. "Flirting is good for you."

Noticing that Aeian's jewelry sat askew, Liara reached out and straightened the heavy pendant that sat low in the plunging neckline of her dress. "Aeian, I have too much to consider currently. I need to figure out…what I am and what I am supposed to do. I need to find my mother. There isn't room for anything else."

Aeian place her hands on her hips, throwing one hip far to the side in the parody of a seductive pose. "We are maidens, Liara. There is always room for a little…lady…lovin'!" she said, enunciating every word with a wild back and forth swings of her hips.

She couldn't help but laugh. Aeian's antics never ceased to amaze or amuse her. She was the easiest person to simply be around Liara had ever met and as the days had gone by, she'd felt herself slowly relax more and more in her presence. "Not this time, I'm afraid. Tonight is about business, not pleasure."

"Famous last words, Liara."

Aethyta walked through the doorway tugging mercilessly at her sleeves as she strode into the room. "Goddess damn dresses are the most useless and irritating clothes in the galaxy."

Sighing, she walked up and gently smacked Aethyta's hands away, "You really must stop saying that." Taking hold of Aethyta's arm, she began properly aligning the beaded edge of her sleeves. "Not every garment can be made of leather, father."

Aethyta stiffened and stared at her through eyes brimming with emotion…happiness tinged with regret. "That's uh…that's the first time you've called me that."

Her eyes widened briefly. The word had slipped off her tongue so naturally she hadn't given it a second thought. It felt…_good. _She needed her father. Smiling softy, she placed her hands lightly on Aethyta's shoulders. "Well…since you stubbornly keep insisting that you _are_…"

Aethyta threw back her head and laughed, "Trust me, kid. The only asari you could have gotten your flavor of temper from is me."

"Well then, it is settled…father," she said softly, giving Aethyta's shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"Come on, you two can be sentimental later." Aeian hooked her arm through Aethyta's and began pulling her toward the door. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"

* * *

Jeeves met them at the top of the stairs and ushered them past the living area, down a long hall, and into the dining room. "Please make yourselves comfortable. Noa will be with you in a moment." With a slight bow, he retreated back through the arched doorway.

Like the living room, the dining room was decorated with an eclectic collection of artwork that hung from the walls or sat tucked in niches or shelves. A long, brightly polished wooden table sat in the center of the room, and light flooded in through a series of narrow conduits set into the ceiling overhead. She had just begun to study what appeared to be a tall helmet made entirely out of metal when Noa's voice carried across the room from the entrance.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

She turned toward the sound, intending to inquire about the helmet but the words died on her lips, every coherent thought scattering at the sight of Noa's unbound hair. _Goddess… _It surrounded her head like a golden halo, cascading past her shoulders in thick silken waves that moved when she did. Her sudden and unexpected desire to touch it was so strong she clamped her hands together as she crossed the room, steps faltering as Noa's eyes roved over her.

"Please, be seated," Noa gestured to the table. "I'll get the wine."

With a wicked grin, Aeian swiftly and strategically took the second seat, leaving her no choice but to take the chair nearest the head of the table while Aethyta sat across from her. Jeeves trundled in with a cart and began placing steaming bowls of soup on their plates while Noa poured the wine. Goddess, she could not stop staring at her hair. The sharp stab of Aeian's elbow and her low snicker finally broke her trance.

"Are you and Jeeves the only two here?" Aeian asked as Noa sat. "I haven't seen anyone else."

"Most of the time, yes…it's just us…and a few other mechs." She shrugged lightly and lifted her wine glass, "It depends on what job I have going. I've got a core team of assistants and a business partner who are here from time to time, but… I like things quiet."

The soup was delicious…something red and creamy with a hint of herbs.

Across from her Aethyta wiped her lips and lowered her napkin. "I'm not much for preamble, so I'll get right to it. I need to find something, and Sha'ira indicated you may be able to help us but first…I need to know about you, human. Sha'ira didn't have many details and oddly, the extranet doesn't seem to have many either."

Noa cupped her wineglass between her fingertips and rested her elbows on the table. "Fair enough, I appreciate directness." She spoke as if she'd been expecting it. "What do you want to know? I grew up on Earth, in the Pacific Northwest. My mother is a marine biologist; she still lives there and I visit and speak to her often. I do not have a father, or rather…he is out of the picture. My education and training are extensive and varied. I received a doctorate in archeology and xenohistory from GU in Vancouver. Informally, I've studied everything from chemistry to genetics to cosmology, usually through privately granted internships." She paused to sip her wine. "I worked for and trained with a private security firm for a while but eventually left to pursue other, more satisfying and…lucrative endeavors."

"Like black market sales," Aethyta said grimly, her voice thick with disapproval.

"Some," Noa confirmed. "Look, money isn't my primary motivator, Matriarch, if that's your concern… learning is. I have many interests and a broad skill set, so I work for myself…anything else would be too limiting or subject to rules and policies with which I might might disagree." She paused to sip her wine. "I find artifacts, study them, and then sell them to the highest bidder and yes, sometimes those bids come from unlicensed sources. I vet them all before completing the sale. I don't deal in weapons or anything that has the potential to be weaponized. If and when I stumble across something new or particularly relevant, I sell it legitimately…typically to a university or a museum… and I always make certain the initial offer goes to the species from which the artifact originated whenever possible…if not, I reach out to the primary schools of study in the appropriate field."

"If the majority of your business is legitimate, why all the secrecy?" Aeian inquired. "And the security?"

Noa's lips curved in a wry smile. "Because I like my privacy and autonomy. I could certainly join a science team somewhere and spend my hours off at remote dig sites, but there are too many bureaucratic hoops to jump through that way. Scientists are a prickly, arrogant bunch. Too often, to participate in big projects it's not so much what you know as who you know that determines whether or not you're selected. I tried to go that route for a while but I'm young…and human. Invariably, I got passed over for older scientists from more respected species…even if their work was comparatively sub-par. In the few big projects for which I have been selected, it's always been in a rudimentary role with the project and my position subject to nebulous funding and laden with restrictions…so I do the same work, for myself…but it's expensive. I acquire, I study and sell, and then I pass my findings along to trusted contacts within the scientific community to publish at their discretion. "

"Do you not miss receiving credit for your work?"

Noa shrugged, lifting her spoon. "It's really no different that what would happen elsewhere. On a large dig, my work and research would be credited to the project lead anyway…Like I said, I don't care about wealth or notoriety…I care about knowledge. By working independently, when it's all said and done everyone is happy…As for the security, " Noa's brow furrowed as she frowned, "there was an incident some time ago that motivated me to be more cautious with the things I value."

"So your not really an art broker at all, are you?" Aethyta said. Noa seemed to wince slightly.

"It's more of a hobby these days." She paused and looked down at her cooling soup. "Now, you know about me…but before we discuss this thing you need me to find, let's eat..I'm starving."

They remainder of the meal passed in a mixture of companionable silence and lighthearted conversation about hobbies and interests, places they had traveled, books they had read. Shepard had traveled extensively of course, and her work in remote locations often involved altercations with pirates or looters. As Noa, Aethyta and Aeian swapped skirmish stories, she found herself looking at Aeian in a new light, not realizing until that moment how closely she followed her father and how consummately capable she was. She felt a warm glow of pride that her ari was such an accomplished individual.

For the most part, she let the conversation flow around her, contributing little. She had no real hobbies and other than a rare stop over at Illium when traveling between Nevos and Thessia as a child, she hadn't been anywhere. In truth, she hadn't accomplished anything of note that was relevant outside the conclave. She was an avid reader, but not of the torrid fiction Aeian and Noa bantered jokingly about; she preferred more classical works. She didn't dwell on her lack of experience, too glad to watch the conversations occur around her because it gave her ample time to observe Noa as she laughed and chatted with the others.

Though she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was, something about the human intrigued her. It was more than just her hair…or the way her eyes seemed to miss nothing. Perhaps it was her ready smile, or the ease and confidence with which she carried herself. Whatever the reason, she found her eyes returning to their hostess again and again.

The meal wound to a close with Aeian and Aethyta arguing over which district's biotiball team would secure the championship that year. As they continued to debate, Noa leaned in close and lightly touched her elbow. "Will you come with me for a minute?"

She resisted the urge to shiver as Noa's warm breath brushed her neck and nodded. As they rose from the table, Aethyta and Aeian's conversation tapered off and the pair looked up at them quizzically.

"There's something I want to show Liara that I believe she may find of interest…it will only take a few minutes." Noa said. She turned to Jeeves who had come in to clear their dessert dishes."Jeeves, when Aethyta and Aeian are ready will you escort them to the den?" Liara ignored Aeian's wink as Noa, still lightly holding her elbow, led her from the room.

"Your father is quite…interesting," Noa said as they turned the first corner into the hall.

"Yes, she does not strike me as an asari who…what is the human saying…pulls her punches?"

"Yes, I agree." Noa nodded."Though you say that as if you're unfamiliar with her more um,… _lovable_ personality traits."

"I am not…I have not known her long, though I hope to remedy that going forward."

"Ah…Sorry if I touched a sore spot."

Her brow knit as she tried to figure out what Noa meant. "Oh, you worry it might be a painful topic. No, it is not…or it is becoming less of one the more I get to know her."

"You were quiet during dinner," Noa steered her around another corner, and stopped in front of a pair of thick doors, notable because they were wooden and not the automated style she'd seen elsewhere in the house. "In fact, the only thing you talked about was books." She stepped closer, intentionally narrowing the space between them as she reached for the door and Liara found herself holding her breath. "Which is why I thought you might like this." Noa pushed the door open and Liara's eyes swept into the room

"Oh….a library." She had never seen so many physical books in one place before. "It is wonderful." She walked to the nearest shelf to gently stroke a row of leathery spines, enjoying the pebbled texture of the covers against her fingertips.

"This is my favorite room in the house." Noa said. "When I was a kid, I always had my nose in a book…I still do whenever I can."

"So you have always enjoyed learning?" Liara continued to wander the room. It was perfectly round, with a domed ceiling painted to look like the night sky. Model planets and suns hung suspended from the ceiling at varying heights. Tall shelves crammed with books and more, lined nearly the entire circumference of the walls. One shelf held a set of crylex flasks such as one might find in a laboratory, another a rainbow of colorful bottles in all shapes and sizes. Palm sized stones in vivid blues and greens were tucked in random niches throughout the room.

"Yes, always. I can't seem to help myself. When I encounter a puzzle, I need to solve it. When I know something is hidden, I feel compelled to uncover it and find out what it is…how or why it was buried...who it belonged to. I am probably more easily intrigued than is healthy," Noa laughed, the sound rich and husky in the quiet room.

"Yes…I think I can relate to that," she agreed, fingertips tracing a shining metal sun that sat at the center of an enormous orrery of the Sol system. She paused in front of a peculiar set of objects on a nearby shelf that resembled goggles.

"Those are glasses…eye glasses…sometimes called spectacles." Noa explained, walking up behind her. She didn't need to turn to know Noa was close. The air felt different when she was near. "A long time ago, before there was a means to easily correct vision problems, some humans wore them to help them see better. Those glasses belonged to my great, great…well, to my ancestors. I'm not sure why I keep them…but like most things in this room, there's just something about them I like, even if I'm not alway sure what it is. I guess it sounds kind of silly when I say it out loud like that, huh?"

"No, not at all.…I know exactly what you mean."

As Noa moved away, Liara turned, her gaze following the human as she moved to the center of the room to lean against a dark wooden desk, loosely crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't bring anyone in here, usually…"

She slowly crossed to where Noa sat, lured by eyes that followed her every move. "Then why invite me in?"

Noa smiled softly. "I wanted to make you feel welcome." Her shoulders lifted and fell as she shrugged. "I know Aethyta enjoys a good drink…so I stocked the bar appropriately. I know Aeian likes engines and tinkering, and I happen to have a really cool robot, along with loads of other gadgets and gizmos I can share if she's inclined to see them, but you…you're a bit more difficult to figure out."

"Am I a puzzle you must solve, Noa Shepard?"

Noa's brows rose for a moment as she considered the question, then fell as she smiled, "Yeah…I suppose you are. When you talked about books, bringing you here just…felt right." Her eyes sparkled. "How am I doing?"

"You are very thoughtful, Noa. Thank you."

"It's my pleasure, really." Noa's eyes held hers. "You're more than welcome to come in here whenever you want…or uh, take whatever interests you back to your room."

Something pulsed between them that made her breathing unsteady and threatened to overwhelm her. She wanted to pull her eyes away but could not because Noa studied her with the same curious and open intensity. _Her eyes are beautiful but…_"I have never seen eyes like yours…what color are they?"

A smile danced across Noa's lips and her eyes crinkled at the corners. "You tell me..tell me what you see," she said softly, taking Liara's hand and pulling her farther into the pool of light from the desk lamp.

Liara leaned in slightly to better see, certain Noa could hear her thundering heart. "I see shades of blue..and brown..and gold. They are very different from asari eyes," she said, straightening to bring Noa's face fully into focus.

"Yes…I've never seen a human with eyes as blue as yours." Her eyes widened slightly, as if the words had tumbled out of their own accord. " Uh yes, well… you're right. My eyes are unusual for anyone. I have blue-brown eyes, neither one color or the other, but both. It's a genetic anomaly called heterochromia iridum. It doesn't affect my vision, so my mother saw no point in having it corrected."

"A wise decision…it is an interesting and beautiful aberration."

Noa chuckled softly. "Thanks…I think. I suppose if I have to be flawed, beautiful and interesting is the way to go."

They both fell silent, simply studying one another until the silence became taut, and shifting once again into something more. She knew they should rejoin the others, but she wanted to stay. There was something intangible, enticing, and entirely unexpected pulsing between them that made her heart race. It thickened the air forcing her to breath to quicken and her blood to warm, and judging by Noa's slightly unsteady breathing she felt it, too. Her eyes drifted to the full softness of Noa's lightly parted lips and a wave of desire hit her. Goddess, she desired her. The realization made her pause and take a step back, freeing her hand from Noa's as her nerves and inexperience got the better of her. It seemed such an honest, and instinctive thing she'd nearly leaned in to kiss her. How was it possible to feel drawn to someone who was nearly a stranger?

"Liara…"

Sha'ira's warning about unintentional influence jumped to the front of her mind. Was it happening even now? She eyed Noa appraisingly. _Goddess…you are a fool_. Of course it was. It was the only explanation that made sense. Why else would Noa be here so close to her? She couldn't deny the thought of ensnaring Noa was…deliciously tempting. It would be so easily done and mutually enjoyable for both of them…she could feel it now, in the heightened awareness vibrating between them and in her sudden, unbidden thoughts of Noa's lips on her skin._ Goddess_…She took several quick steps back. _No_. She could not. She must not. She would not.

A shadow of disappointment flickered across Noa's eyes followed closely by concern. "Everything okay?"

Liara forced a tight smile. "Yes…of course. Thank you for showing me the way here. I will return later and select a book." She crossed her arms over her chest. "We should return to others; they will be waiting."

Noa pushed off the desk and stood, her cheeks coloring. "Yes, you're right. I was so distracted I…I forgot all about them." Her color deepened. "We should go."

Liara's heart sank as she followed Noa through the door.

* * *

Aethyta appeared to have recovered from her dislike of Jeeves. When Noa and Liara slipped into the den, she and the mech were facing each other across the bar discussing drinks. "A fuzzy navel? That sounds damned revolting."

"It is the fourth most commonly ordered beverage at human drinking establishments," Jeeves replied.

"Figures…damn humans wouldn't know a good drink if it bit 'em on the ass."

Aeian, who was relaxing on an overstuffed sofa, looked up when they entered. "Thank the goddess! I need you to save me from Aethyta and Jeeves. They're both like…like walking cocktail recipe databases. It's like listening to paint dry."

Aethyta turned at the mention of her name. "I'll have you know, T'Goni, there is an art to mixing a superb drink." Rising from the bar, she strode across the room. "But you're right, we've got more important things to discuss."

Noa nodded and sank onto the sofa. "Tell me what I can do for you, Matriarch. What is it you need me to find? Sha'ira indicated your need is great, but she seemed disinclined to offer more than that. You have my word that I'll help you in whatever way I can, but I'll need every detail you can provide."

Aethtya scowled as she took a seat across from Noa on a matching sofa. En route from the Citadel, they had discussed how much information to share. Despite Sha'ira's assurances, Aethyta was hesitant to give too much until she'd met Noa herself, and Liara could read the lingering uncertainty in her eyes. Aethyta didn't trust the human and it made her hesitate.

Aethyta scooted forward and fixed Noa in her steely gaze. "For all I know, you won't know crap and this trip may be a damn waste of time, but I want your word human, that you won't repeat anything I tell you. It would place Liara in more danger than she's already in and there is nothing I won't do to protect her. That includes putting a round in your perky ass."

Noa paused as if weighing Aethyta's words. Scooting to the edge of the sofa, she extended her raised palm to Aethyta. "_Shu'va me ar mo, shu'va tesh oiin, shu'va y me bash, Liara hath atha'ir y ain_."

Aethyta's eyes briefly widened in surprise, before she offered Noa a respectful nod. "You got it kid…"

"No!" Liara blurted, stunned not just by Noa's knowledge of the asari dialect, but at the oath she had just sworn. She blanched as she realized it was likely her own fault. Her overactive interest in the human was clouding Noa's judgment.

Ignoring Liara's outburst, Aethyta slapped her palm against Noa's, her hand flaring blue. "_Ath'aim y ne basha_."

"You are human!" Liara snapped. "You do not understand what you have just done!"

Noa's eyes flashed with anger…and hurt. "Don't be so quick to undervalue my humanity or my intelligence, Liara. I'm pretty sure I know what I said. I'm the one who said it."

Liara felt her anger rise steam, begging to be vented. Instead, she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the heels of her palms. She was more angry with herself than Noa, who likely had no idea why she felt compelled to make such an oath. Knowing her less than a day, Noa had sworn if anything happened to Liara as a result of her words or deeds, her actions or inactions, her life and everything she owned was forfeit to Aethyta. Her words had been imperfect but the oath was still binding….and it was her fault.

Aeian eyed her from the opposite sofa, her expression curious and thoughtful. She turned away and listened to Aethyta once again tell the story of the night she was born, the prophecy, and the prothean beacons. Noa's sat quietly, attentively listening. Occasionally her eyes would flit over to Liara's, lingering briefly before refocusing her attention on Aethyta.

When Aethyta finished, the matriarch slapped her hands onto her knees. "That's what we know, kid, and it's not a lot to work with."

Noa rose and began pacing the room, tugging absently at her bottom lip as she spoke, not speaking to any of them in particular but organizing her thoughts aloud. "Saren is interested in the prothean beacons because he is looking for a way to bring the reapers back…but now that he knows Liara is the Oracle and can potentially stop them, he may shift his focus to target her…it's what I would do….then once she's eliminated, he can then resume his task unhindered… Liara's safety is priority."

"Obviously," Aethyta said.

"You suspect the link between the protheans and the prophecy is tied in some way to the sphere Liara touched, but there is no way to access the secured location on Thessia to discover if there are more of them….tell me about the sphere again. Did it have any distinguishing characteristics, any marks, _anything_ that made it stand out?"

Aethyta held up her hands with her fingertips spread, as if holding a large ball. "It was about this size, and mostly blue. It wasn't perfectly smooth; there were rough patches on its surface. It appeared inert at first…solid… but then the stuff inside it began to swirl."

"Before or after Liara touched it?"

"Before," Aethyta confirmed. "After she touched it, it looked…dead. It was solid black, and the mark on her hand was gone."

"Did you get a good look at the mark itself? Did it change at all before she touched the sphere?"

"Have you ever tried to look at a infant's palm?" Aethyta said, scowling. "Babies have tiny, sweaty little fists and to be perfectly honest, I was…distracted. One minute I had everything I wanted, the next it turned to crap."

Noa nodded. "I'll be honest, I've never heard of anything like what you're talking about. I know of one prothean sphere, but it's nothing like what you've described and…well, I've lost the means to access it. I have unrestricted access to university archives and research databases from Thessia to Sur'Kesh and I can run some searches, put out some feelers to contacts within the scientific community and start digging around to see what I can find, _but_ if Saren has put the same pieces of the puzzle together, our search may flag him to our intentions."

"So there's really nothing you can do," Aethyta said, sounding defeated.

"No…I didn't say that. We've got one thing Saren doesn't have." Blue-brown eyes met hers. "We've got Liara."

"But I do not know anything about…"

"The mark on your hand may still be there, hidden in plain sight. It will be worthwhile to try to develop an alternate method to visualize it or barring that, to recreate it. If the information from the beacon is correct, you were…well, you were programmed to have it. It wasn't random…like freckles…it was intentional and you were born with it, which means the potential to recreate it is in your DNA. Either way, we need to see it. There's a strong possibility the mark itself will provide the necessary clues to determine the origin of the sphere. The two things have to be related. If there are others, we may be able to find one without tipping Saren to the fact that we're looking."

"What if it's a dead end?" Aiean said, stifling a yawn.

Noa shrugged, "It might be, but we won't know unless we try." She turned to Liara. "I'm going to need a DNA sample."

Aeian nodded and stretched. "Yeah…have fun with that. I'm going to bed before I fall on my face. Come on Aethy, let's get some sleep." Aeian pulled Aethyta from the sofa and began dragging her away. "G'night, Noa…g' night ari" she said over her shoulder as they left the room.

As Noa bid them goodnight, she waited silently on the sofa. When they had gone, Noa turned to her, her eyes distant. "Follow me."

Noa led her into the nearby kitchen, a sleek and modern affair with brushed metal upright surfaces and heavy stone counter tops. Pulling a stool from under the edge of the center island, she patted the seat with her palm, indicating Liara should sit.

"Why are we here?" She sat, but there was no way she could eat anything; even the thought of food turned her stomach. She looked everywhere except directly at Noa, too saddened by the distance she'd seen in her eyes. It was for the best, but it made her feel cold and she didn't like it. She needed to meditate, to separate…to undo the damage she had caused.

Noa rounded the center island, pulled open a drawer, and rummaged through it. Moments later she pulled out a thin paper sleeve which she tore open at one end, revealing the thin, flexible sticks of two cheek swabs. "DNA sample, remember?"

"Oh…right." Her brow knit, "You keep lab supplies in the kitchen?"

"If you stop to think about it, cooking _is_ chemistry; a kitchen is just a different kind of lab."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," she said quietly, still avoiding Noa's gaze though she sensed the weight of her eyes like a physical touch.

"I often am." The three simple words were said without a hint of arrogance, but rather, with some alien quality that had her eyes leaping to Noa's for clarification. Like asari, humans relied heavily on nonverbal communication, but the language of it was frustratingly elusive to her. For several long moments she searched Noa's face for a hint but found nothing but cool regard.

"I do not understand," she confessed softly.

Noa leaned her hip against the island and crossed her arms over her chest. "I know." Again, there seemed to be some other meaning layered in Noa's words that evaded her, like whispers just outside her range of hearing.

"Are you toying with me?" The day had been long and she was tired with worry, too tired to muster anger. "I do not know what you mean, and it is…frustrating. You say one thing with your words, another with your tone and still yet another with your eyes, but I am only equipped to understand one. Is this a…a _human_ thing?"

Noa appeared torn between amusement and anger as she pushed off the island and moved to stand in front of her. The swabs rasped against their paper sleeve as she pulled them free of the packaging. "It isn't, I assure you. Open your mouth, please."

Liara dutifully opened her mouth allowing Noa to swab the inside of her cheek. Once done, she averted her eyes to study her hands, determined to ignore the woman's proximity. She knew if she looked ahead, she would be met with the scooped neckline of Noa's dress, cut just low enough to reveal an enticing expanse of light brown skin and the curling ends of golden hair falling against it.

"Thank you," Noa said. "Fortunately, as laboratory specimens go, this one is relatively painless to acquire."

Liara expected her to move away, but she did not…_Why do you not move? You are so close…it would be so simple to reach out and pull you closer…_ the thought made her pulse quicken and she fought to tamp it down. Goddess, what was wrong with her? Was she ill? Fingertips, light but insistent lifted her chin, forcing her eyes up. Noa's hand slipped away as their eyes met.

"Earlier, I said I am _often_ right, not always. I was right for swearing an oath to Aethyta. It's important that she trusts me. You'll find I don't do anything half way, Liara; it isn't in my nature. When I said I would help I meant it, and frankly, you need me. Are there risks involved? Yes, but despite being human, I do understand and accept them." She sighed and raked a hand through her hair, her movements jerky and frustrated. "You don't know me very well…I get that, but…there aren't a lot of humans who do what I do, and few who do it as well. If I had a credit for every time a member of another species thought I wouldn't or couldn't understand something just because I'm human, well…let's just say I'd probably be the wealthiest human in the Terminus."

"I am sorry." Inwardly she cringed. She had been on the receiving end of that sort of doubt from her peers and it was _not_ a pleasant experience. "It wasn't my intention to…that was not precisely what I meant. I do not question your intelligence, Noa. I …"

Goddess, Noa was so close she could smell the scent of her skin and it wreaked havoc with her emotions. She looked anxiously from left to right but short of closing them, there was nowhere she could rest her eyes that did not include a tantalizing view of the woman. All she wanted to do was hide or run. There was too much happening that she didn't understand. She didn't want to compromise Noa further with her continued presence and she could not stop…feeling. She settled for staring at the hollow of Noa's throat, a mistake, as her eyes lit on the steady beating of Noa's pulse fluttering under her skin. Her mouth began to water and she felt an unreasonable urge to sink her teeth into the flesh there. _Goddess!_

She buried her face against her hand, her voice slightly muffled by her palm as she continued. "I meant it is unlikely you fully understand the nature of your motivations and as you said….we have known each other for less than a day." _And you are imagining biting her! _She didn't understand why Noa affected her so strongly….it was all so…confusing!

"You're worried about my motivations?" Noa said, exasperation driving her voice up an octave. "I just want to help…it's pretty simple to understand."

"No…I am…" _Why? Why do I struggle with these small moments? Why is this human so confusing? _On Nevos, when she had known who she was, she'd been confident, even bold at times…apparently all it took was one attractive human reduce her to a bumbling fool. "I am saying everything wrong and I cannot even begin to express how…how frustrating it is!"

"You have got to be the most confusing asari I've ever met." Noa said, her voice soft and not unkind.

The words so closely mirrored her own thoughts she nearly laughed. "If it is any consolation I find you equally confusing. Unfortunately, as you are the only human I have ever met, I have no point of reference for comparison."

"Wait…what?" Noa said, her voice thick with disbelief. "Liara, look at me…" Noa paused until she reluctantly complied. "What I started to say before was that I was right about my promise to your father, but I was wrong because I felt like I misjudged you. I thought you were toying with _me_, not the other way around."

Rather than providing clarity, Noa's words only confused her further. "I do not understand…_why _would you think I…" She froze as the tips of Noa's fingers softly grazed her cheek.

"It's not important, Liara. I misread you and….wow." Color bloomed on her cheeks. "I've been an idiot, of course…which is nothing new for me, really." She stepped back, her features cool and a touch sad. "Can you find your way back to your room or should I have Jeeves escort you?" She lifted the swab packet, holding it between them as if it were a shield. "I want to get this to the lab."

Liara slid off the stool and onto her feet, not entirely sure what had just happened. "I can find it, thank you."

Noa exhaled, her relief apparent. "Excellent. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight Liara."

* * *

A/N WHew...this was a long chapter, but a lot of things needed to happen here. Along with the usual plot stuff, I really wanted to convey that Liara is feeling *really* overwhelmed by her reaction to Noa. Despite her stern demeanor early in, Liara is still very young. Noa, of course, isn't helping matters much and sparks are flying all over the place. The speed with which this is happening is important and sets the framework for some events a few chapters down the line.

At any rate...I hope you're enjoying it.

Thanks so much for the reviews, faves, and follows. They make me giddy happy.

Final thing...as I've gone back through I've found a couple of errors between exporting/importing from my pc to fanfic. I think I've caught most of 'em, but if you notice anything that just doesn't make sense (words missing, etc.) please let me know so I can fix it. Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12 Biotics and Coffee

**Biotics and Coffee**

* * *

Liara moved through the training forms, long limbs flowing from one position to the next as she strained to perfectly sync her movements with the biotic energy flowing through her body.

"No, not like that," Aeian corrected her. "Stop forcing it! Start over from the beginning."

After Aethyta had lectured her long and hard about her lack of combat training and her abysmal control, she had tasked Aeian with working with her daily. Aeian had taken to the role with the same enthusiasm with which she seemed to approach everything, but she was anything but lighthearted in the endeavor. Despite her youth, Aeian was more fastidious and determined than Shiala had ever been, and Liara left every training session feeling battered and exhausted. Today was no exception.

Gritting her teeth she assumed the starting position and began again, slowly allowing a pool of dark energy to build within her. The point of the exercise was simple. Smoothly and successfully completing it was not. She had to charge her biotics within a specific cluster of eezo nodes and without outwardly discharging any power, rapidly shift it from one cluster to the next, allowing the energy to gain power and momentum as it flowed through her.

Unlike all other species, who developed biotics as the result of eezo exposure, asari were born biotic, and the interconnected network of eezo nodes that intertwined with their nervous system gave them enormous biotic potential. Daughters born to matriarchs had much more robust eezo networks and daughters of two asari even more so. As the daughter of two asari matriarchs, Liara's biotic potential was enormous…if she could learn to control it.

Aeian circled her like a hawk, watching for mistakes. "Dark energy is the stone. Your will is the sling. Let the energy flow through you with purpose, feel its power and momentum escalate and build. Focus and control are imperative. Defense is instinctive…a reflex. Even the youngest asari can manage a weak shield. Even the weakest asari can toss a stone. Your body is not a vessel for your biotics. It is not a cup that fills and runs over; it is a reservoir limited only by your potential. Your will alone shapes its release….see your target, Liara…"

Still moving through the form, Liara fixed her eyes on a metal storage crate placed atop a boulder roughly twenty five meters away.

"Hit it!" Aeian called. "Hit it now!"

Gritting her teeth, she drew back her arm and threw her hand forward. A pulse of dark energy hurtled from her palm and streaked over the grass, slamming into the top of crate and driving it downward against the rock. The crate crumpled under the force of the blow. There was an ominous rumbling crack, and a wide fissure appeared in the boulder as it split under the impact. Breathing hard, she fell forward to rest her hands on her knees, her smile victorious.

"Damn ari! Well done!" Aeian whooped. "Now _that _is what I'm talking about. Did you feel the difference?"

She nodded. "The stone and sling analogy helped tremendously; I had never thought of it that way."

"Yeah, I always liked that one, too. There is a balance between the biotic momentum you generate and the force of the throw…once you feel it, you never forget it." Aeian smiled, "There's a sex analogy that's a lot more fun…maybe we'll try that one next time…Now, do it again, without the form this time…the form is simply a tool get you to this point. It isn't necessary."

They spent the next hour taking turns lobbing throws at the boulder, with Aeian teaching her different methods for creating a larger area of effect useful for knocking multiple enemies off their feet or condensing the mass field into a tightly wound projectile capable of shearing through dense objects. Finally, Aeian held up her hand. "That's enough for today; we've got to save some juice for the jog back."

With a grateful sigh, Liara collapsed onto the grass while Aeian retrieved their canteens.

"I don't know what's gotten into you today ari but I like it." Aeian dropped to the ground beside her and shoved a canteen into Liara's hand.

"Proper motivation." She opened the canteen and drank deeply. "I will do whatever it takes to free my mother from Saren's influence, Aeian." Her frustration at Noa's avoidance of her since their near kiss in the library may have also played a role, but she wasn't going to tell Aeian that.

"What I want to know is why Shiala didn't teach you this stuff. I can't believe Benezia would have willingly permitted such a gap in your training."

"Shiala was a good teacher and a trusted friend. Perhaps if I had been a better student things would be different…it is not her fault, Aeian. I manipulated Shiala. I convinced her offensive training was not necessary. I learned the techniques but only for my own personal academic interest rather than in consideration of practical application."

Aeian's brows rose. "I find that hard to believe. No offense…I know you're all 'I'm Priestess T'Soni' self-important when the mood strikes but…"

She scowled and pinched Aeian's arm. "I most certainly am not!"

"Ow!" Laughing, Aeian rubbed her arm. "You're not as bad as you were at first, but c'mon. You were so uptight you put the tense in pretense. Still, I doubt even _you_ could put your foot down hard enough to dissuade one of Matriarch Benezia's most trusted followers."

She hugged her knees and sighed. "But I did." She was reluctant to talk about her ability, but Aeian had become a good friend…the first true friend she had ever had and she needed her advice. To her knowledge, Aethyta had not talked with Aeian about it, and she felt as if she was harboring a dark secret from her friend. "Do you trust me, Aeian?"

"What kind of question is that?" Aeian playfully poked her ribs. "You know I do, ari."

Liara's forehead wrinkled as she considered her options. She needed a method to show Aeian how she had manipulated Shiala that would demonstrate her ability but wouldn't be too egregious…something simple. "What is your least favorite food?"

Aeian stared at her. "What does that have to do with trust?"

"More than you would think…now tell me."

Aeian tilted her head to one side, thinking. "I'm not sure…oh, wait…there's a human beverage Markus has every morning… coffee." Her face twisted in disgust. "It is revolting…bitter and thick…all my human friends drink it like it's the greatest thing ever."

She had never had coffee, though that hardly mattered. "Okay, I want you to close your eyes." Aeian looked doubtful, but did as she was told. "Alright," she heaved a nervous sigh and slowly reached toward Aeian with her mind until she felt the margin of Aeian's awareness. There she halted. If she pushed forward a fraction more, she would enter into the shallowest of melds with the asari. Not only was this strictly forbidden, but the thought of such a personal trespass was so revolting it made her feel physically ill. Her gift lay just outside that forbidden layer however, in territory that seemed to be hers alone and here, she reached out, layering her will over Aeian's awareness like a fine, gossamer web.

"Um, Liara? Is there a reason I'm sitting here with my eyes closed? This is getting kind of boring."

"Yes, there is a reason. Stop being so impatient…now," she sent a tendril of energy flowing through the web. "Can you sense that?"

"Sense what?"

"Ari are you always so glibly unaware?" She sent another pulse, a touch stronger. "_That_…can you…"

"Whoa!" Aeian's eyes snapped open. "Holy shit, is that you? But…you're not…it's not a meld." She paused, eyes losing focus as if searching inward. "Now I can't feel a thing."

She sent another pulse along the web and Aeian's eyes widened.

"I felt that, though! What _is _it? How are you even _doing_ that…and…_ why_?"

"I'll explain in a minute… think of coffee."

"Coffee? But I don't like coffee. I'm telling you, Liara, the stuff reeks." She arched her brow. "Are you trying to read my mind? If you are, I am _so_ thinking about sex instead…sex with women…just for you. Tall, tan, human women with…"

"By the goddess, Aeian just think about coffee already! I am trying to show you something!"

"Fine! I'm thinking about coffee! But next time, I get to choose what I think about because coffee is crap."

"No, Aeian… it is not; coffee is delicious." Liara sent a pulse of energy along the web. "It is your favorite thing to drink."

"Oh no it's…" Aeian's eyes drifted open. "I could _murder_ a cup of coffee right now." She looked down at her canteen in consternation. "Why didn't I bring coffee instead of water?"

Liara pulled away, releasing the web. As soon as she did, Aeian's eyes grew as large as moons, and she jumped to her feet and swiped at her tongue as if she'd just tasted something foul. " You did that? Damn..that was absolutely disgusting! Brilliant… but disgusting. I swear I wanted to have a cup of coffee so badly I could taste it." She knelt in front on Liara. "You've got to tell me how! Do you have any idea how fucking _awesome _that is! Goddess…the possibilities…"

"It is horrible, Aeian!" She pressed her face against her knees. "_That_ is how I convinced Shiala offensive tactics were unimportant, the only difference is, she did not know…and I did it anyway!"

Aeian's thigh brushed hers as she sat down beside her and a warm arm draped over her shoulders. "Wow, Liara….that's…"

"Horrible! I know! And selfish and wrong."

"No, I was going to say tough…and more than a little scary. I don't mean I'm scared of you, ari. I mean it must be scary for you to know you can… manipulate people that way."

She raised her head from her knees and rested it against Aeian's shoulder. "It is scary. It is scary because it is so very easy, Aeian. It is as effortless as breathing and I struggle daily _not _to do it. It is like…trying not to use my thumbs, or trying to not see in color. Imagine never using your biotics…it is like that."

"Have you ever…um, done that to me before?" Aeian asked softly.

"Goddess no! And I never will, I promise." She hesitated. "I did try to force Aethyta to tell me why she rescued me. Twice, actually. The first time was when she showed up at the temple. I was so…caught off guard I did it almost instinctively. The second time was because I was furious…but it gets worse." She told Aeian of Sha'ira's theory about her ability 'leaking' when she wasn't aware of it, of the guards posted at the door, and her mother's followers when she was a child.

"How would that even work? You just…want something so badly, or so much that it happens?"

"Not exactly. Sha'ira described it as a sphere of influence. I imagine it is like a web of…sympathetic energy I create around myself without even being aware of it. Sha'ira taught me several meditation techniques to prevent it, and I've been practicing daily." She lifted her head from Aeian's shoulder. "I honestly had no idea, Aeian. The intentional aspect of it I knew, of course, but the unintentional part…I did not. Now, I find myself second guessing every accomplishment, every person who has every been kindly disposed toward me… and then there's Noa."

Aeian twisted sideways to see her. "What do you mean?"

Liara felt a slow flush creep up her neck. "There is…something about her I find…intensely appealing, and…"

"Ha! I knew it!" Aeian dropped her arm and scooted around until they sat facing each other. "Trust me, Liara; there's something about you she finds appealing as well. You're ass for starters."

Liara's face flamed. "Aeian, I am being serious! I am not…" Her face felt like it was literally on fire. "I am not experienced with relationships…or sex, casual or otherwise.. but I am very aware of attraction. From the first moment I saw her there was something about her that drew me in. Then, last week, when she took me to her library there was a moment…" She paused, hesitating.

"Shit, don't stop now, Liara! You're slaying me! There was a moment and…." Aeian waved her hands in a beckoning gesture.

"There was a moment we were standing very close to one another and it seemed she felt the same…her eyes are blue-brown, by the way. It is caused by a genetic disorder."

Aeian, who had been leaning forward rapt, leaned back and blinked. "You are the worst story teller ever."

"This is not one of your tawdry novels, Aeian." She scowled and began plucking at the fat blades of grass on which they sat. "It seemed she shared a mutual interest but then it occurred to me that if she does, it is likely because I have… inadvertently influenced her."

"What?" Aeian's voice was incredulous. "You're kidding, right?"

"So help me, Aeian I am never sharing anything with you ever again! No, I am not joking! As soon as I realized that must be the truth of the situation, I…I pulled away. I was skeptical, but then she swore that awful oath to father…in an asari dialect no, less!…and I knew I was right. What sane person acting of their own accord makes such an oath after having only just met someone?"

"Maybe an honorable person who just wants to help?" Aeian was trying to hide a smirk, and failing miserably. "I told you she was into you, ari. I said it before we even went to dinner." She studied Liara's subdued expression and adjusted her tone to match. "Liara, you're going to have to trust me on this: She likes you, and not because of any accidental effect you think you're causing. I know humans. I'm dating a human, I work with humans every day, my friends are human. She can't keep her eyes off you and you definitely get under her skin. Human pheromones have a very distinctive scent."

Liara's eyes widened. "You can _smell _her?"

"Goddess yes! Even Aethyta noticed it right away! You would too if you weren't so…inexperienced."

Liara's face fell back to her knees. "Why do biotic abilities not extend to the generation of space-time rifts? I desperately feel the need to throw myself into one."

Aeian chuckled softly. "It's not that bad, Liara."

Liara lifted her eyes. "What am I going to do? Afterward, we talked and it was the oddest conversation I have ever had. It felt as if she was saying something that I was unable to understand, and when I mentioned she was the first human I had ever met, she acted as if I had just turned into a vorcha and she could not wait to get away. Other than meaningless pleasantries we have not spoken since…yet I cannot stop thinking about her."

"Maybe she thought you'd bite her," Aeian joked.

A high pitched garbled noise erupted from Liara's throat as she once again buried her face against her knees.

"Oh goddess, you didn't actually bite her did you?" Aeian said in disbelief.

"No…but I really wanted to. Her throat looks so…soft."

Aeian laughed so hard she fell back onto the ground and Liara plucked a handful of grass and threw it at her. "What am I going to do, Aeian? How will I know for sure? And what about that stupid oath?"

"You worry too much, ari." Aeian said when she was able to stop laughing. She sat up, picking the grass from her leathers. "Don't worry about the oath. If anything, it tells us Noa is confident in her own abilities and that can only be a good thing. Let me ask you something…suppose some of Saren's mercs showed up here and threatened Noa. How would you react."

Liara's anger was so instant and visceral she flared blue from head to toe. "I would rip them apart."

"Really? After only knowing her for just over a week?" Aeian smirked.

Her biotics faded as suddenly as they had appeared. She would, she realized. After knowing Noa for such a short time she would willingly face a full clan of charging krogan to protect her. The thought of anyone else touching her, for any reason, set her teeth on edge.

Aeian scooped up her canteen and stood, brushing off the remaining grass. "I know from experience how tricky it can be to understand humans at first. They are like asari in so many ways it's easy to overlook the differences…and trust me, humans _are _different. Maybe Noa was trying to indicate her interest but feared miscommunication." Aeian held a hand down to Liara, and helped her to her feet "We'll figure it out. In the meantime, we should get back. It's almost lunch and afterward, you've got a date with Noa in the lab…your DNA analysis is finally complete."


	13. Chapter 13 Possibilities

**Possibilities**

* * *

Liara followed Aethyta out of the lift and into Noa's lab. The space looked more like a command and control center than a lab. An array of screens scrolling with numbers and charts lined one wall. Tucked under them a bank of hard terminals hummed, their boards flashing green and red. Thick bundles of cables bound together with colored straps snaked across the metal floor. A stained workbench snugged against the side wall with tools and bits of tech haphazardly scattered across its surface. There was a sink, an emergency decon booth, and a row of hooks from which hung a haz-mat suit and a leather jacket. She stroked its sleeve as she passed.

Noa sat at the raised center of the room surrounded by of a ring of haptic displays, idly tapping and swiping through data. The soft orange glow from the terminal on which she was working obscured her face, but Liara could see that her hair was pulled back and she stifled a feeling of disappointment.

"Hello?" Aethyta said, mounting the steps that led to Noa's workstation.

"Hey," Noa looked up, smiling. "I didn't hear you come in. Come on up, but watch the cables. I keep meaning to organize, but I get too distracted whenever I'm down here." She closed the display and stood. "I've got the results from the DNA compiled if you want to take a look. It's pretty remarkable."

"Of course it is." Aethyta said, her gruff voice smug as she positioned herself behind Noa to peer over her shoulder. "I always said any kid of Nezzie's would be special."

"She's not just Matriarch Benezia's, Aethyta; she's yours, too."

"That is… not how asari reproduction works, Noa." Liara added.

Noa's lips thinned for a moment, before her features smoothed. " Asari may be parthenogenic, but you still require the genetic…stimulation…. of a second parent whose genes are used as a map. Your species can accomplish via a union what other species accomplish by sexual reproduction, though in a much more limited capacity. Asari reproduction is a…controlled randomization. There isn't a lot of control, mind you. The biological imperative for spontaneous randomization to ensure genetic diversity is paramount, but there is a degree of consciously selecting specific traits the mother feels will strengthen her offspring."

Aethyta's eyes lit, "Hey, maybe you really are a quarter krogan, kid."

Liara scowled, "I believe your percentages are inaccurate."

"Maybe," Noa said. "But maybe not. Think of it like this, via the meld, the mother identifies specific genes associated with desirable attributes from the second parent and copies them exactly with her own DNA. Asari are no different than every other species; you have way more DNA than is actually utilized during reproduction. Think of the second parent's DNA as a template. Because of the high degree of genetic similarity, the process is exponentially more efficient between two asari, so generally the offspring of two asari have more of the second parent's attributes than they would if the father was of a different species. Likewise, the genetic copying is more efficient when the mother is a matriarch. Due to their centuries of experience melding, matriarchs have much more finely developed control over the manner in which their nervous systems coalesce with others. And finally…the um," Noa rubbed the back of her neck. "The longer the couple has been together and the more, um…melds they have shared….especially if those joinings are more…intimate in nature, increases the efficiency of the union further."

Aethyta smiled widely, "Heh, you're probably at least forty percent krogan…Nezzie and I must have…"

"So yes," Noa quickly interjected as Liara tucked her head and covered her eyes. "You are Aethyta's daughter as well as Benezia's. You were written with your mother's DNA, but part of that DNA created replicas of Aethyta's." Noa's eyes jumped back and forth between them. "I know you haven't been around each other long, but you can't tell me you haven't discovered _some_ similarities…similarities that can't be attributed to environment or nurture."

She glared at Aethyta as the matriarch began to laugh uproariously. _Goddess Athame help me. _"Were you able to find anything helpful from the specimen I provided, Noa?"

"Yeah…let me show you." Graceful fingers tapped a haptic display and a three dimensional model of a DNA helix appeared. "Here's your DNA…a very small length of it anyway. I pulled up archive data for comparison… DNA from other asari."

"What were you looking for?" Aethyta inquired.

"I didn't know at first, honestly….differences, similarities." Noa tapped the screen in front of her. "All asari have a distinct molecular marker…a DNA fragment that always occurs in the same location on the genome. It's confounded geneticists for years because of it's unusual behavior. It shouldn't exist, but it does. It's always in the same spot, always the same length, always capped at each end by the same nucleotide pairs…it is predictably unpredictable, apparently unexpressed…"

"I'm not a goddess damn scientist kid; spare me the jargon and get to the point." Aethtya said.

"Okay." Noa looked thoughtful for a minute. "You know what a slot machine is….you pull the handle, the little icons align, and if they align just right then…Jackpot!" Noa threw up her hands. "This marker acts like a slot machine. Each recombination of DNA is like a pull of the handle for its nucleotide order. Now, imagine that slot machine had ten thousand icons that needed to line up perfectly before you hit the jackpot." Liara jumped when Noa spun, blue brown eyes locking onto hers as she smiled. "Liara is the prize…the jackpot. It's as if thousands and thousands of years ago a genetic framework was put in place that relied on…evolutionary chance… for the perfect alignment to eventually occur."

Liara's mouth watered as Noa's eyes pulled her in. _Your eyes are very unfair. _"How do you know…if the degree of variability is always the same, then how…"

"I never said the degree of variability is the same, just that there _is_ variability," Noa said. "When I compared your marker to that of other asari, a distinct pattern emerged, a trend toward uniformity on this specific marker. For millennia, every pull on the slot machine arm was slowly bringing the asari closer and closer to the hitting the jackpot…until it became taboo for two asari to procreate. For instance, there is a distinct shift to uniformity within the Upper Houses because they continued to reproduce with other asari much longer…thank god the registries include genetic records." Noa's expression was one of rapt fascination. "Liara, you're…wow… you are a genetic event horizon…the last permutation of a gene that has been slowly staggering toward a specific pattern for tens of thousands of years!" Her expression soured. "The only thing we don't know is…what this gene does."

Liara's heart sank. She had a nagging suspicion she knew precisely what it did. There was one way she was different from every other asari. Her gift…her curse.

"All I heard was blah-blah gene, blah-blah this information can't help us," Aethyta grumbled.

Noa's eyes turned away as she faced Aethyta. "Long term," she shrugged, "I don't know. Immediately, other than telling us science supports the prophecy…and mind you that's no small thing…no. But we can still look at Liara's hands and see what we can find."

Aethyta's omni blinked a dim flash of red. Her eyes tightened as she activated her omni-tool. "It's a message from Sha'ira…I need to contact her." She looked at Noa. "Privately."

Noa tapped her own omni. "Jeeves, meet Aethyta at the top of the lift and take her to the com room." The tool blinked off. "Head back up to the main floor, Jeeves will take you where you need to go."

Liara's eyes followed Aethyta as she exited the room. The tension in Aethyta's shoulders and the haste of her departure conveyed a sense of urgency that left a knot in her stomach.

"I'm sure everything is fine, Liara," Noa said softly.

"I sometimes feel nothing will ever be fine again…" Realizing she'd said more than she meant to, she straightened, and brushed her fingers down the front of her tunic before turning back to Noa. "But it is thoughtful of you to say so. What is it you need me to do?"

Noa nodded toward the far corner of the room. "I've got some stuff set up over there…I want to take a look at your hands under a different kind of light…maybe try some different stimuli."

They spent the next hour looking at Liara's palms under a variety of spectra with no success.

"Damn it!" Noa ground her teeth in frustration and placed her hands on top of her head. "This doesn't make sense! It _can't_ have just disappeared like it never existed. There's no such thing as…as… space-magic. There are physical, tangible, measurable aspects to this; there have to be if it's biological."

Liara, equally frustrated and tired of sitting in one position for so long, rose and stretched, working the stiffness from her shoulders. "If there are, I do not think you have the means to identify them, Noa. I should…I should go. Aethyta has not returned and I am fatigued from training this morning." It was a lie. She didn't feel tired at all, but Noa did not need to know that. Noa's constant nearness and touch, the warmth of her fingers as she'd manipulated her hands was more taxing than her morning workout had been. And her hair was starting to come loose from its binding as she paced back and forth muttering to herself.

"It was non-reactive…then it was reactive…then it was like it was dead…dead…alive…." Noa's palm smacked her forehead hard enough to leave a mark. "Of course…I've been looking at this all wrong…how could I have been so stupid." She turned back to Liara nearly quivering with excitement. "Sit..please. Just humor me for a few more minutes." She sprinted to the opposite side of the lab and returned with a concerning looking contraption sprouting wires like vines and gestured toward the table. "Just..give me your hands."

Liara eyed the equipment doubtfully. "I am not certain I want to."

Noa chuckled as her fingers closed around Liara's and began nearly dragging her back to the table. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise…trust me." Noa's crooked smile and imploring gaze made her heart squeeze painfully.

"You make the most complex things sound so simple." Liara said softly.

Noa stilled, "At their heart, even the most complex things are comprised of simple parts artfully arranged." As if suddenly self conscious, she released her hand and stepped back. "Just lay your hands on the table, palms up, yeah?"

Liara sat and did as asked, grimacing as Noa began painted her palms with a cool, viscous gel. As she worked, Noa's eyes glowed with an anticipatory gleam that did nothing to calm Liara's nerves. "What is this for?"

"When your mother touched the sphere, it remained dormant, but when you touched it a reaction occurred. Aethyta said afterward it was dead. What if it wasn't a reaction, per se, but a response. Your skin talked to the sphere, and it responded. What if the sphere is organic?" She began inserting probes into the gel. "Considering the circumstances and the prophecy…you were an infant at the time…the initial communication was likely the simplest stimuli and your biotics were likely the catalyst. Aethyta specifically said there was a blue glow. That sounds biotic to me."

"That doesn't explain the gel, Noa…or the wires."

"It's conductive gel. I'm going to run an electrical current through it." Noa said, smiling.

Her eyes narrowed. "I do not think I like where this is going…how much current?"

"So weak you'll barely feel it." Noa's brow furrowed as she twisted a dial on the side of the equipment. "_Now_ you won't feel a thing. I think. Let's see." Before Liara could react, Noa powered on the device.

Anticipating a painful jolt, Liara winced. Moments later, her shoulders relaxed and she sighed in relief as a very mild tingle spread across her palms. "That is not painful at all."

"I told you to trust me," Noa admonished her gently then nodded eagerly toward Liara's hands, "Now…do your little biotic thing."

Liara arched one brow, her expression pointed. "My little biotic thing?"

Noa rested her forearms on the table and leaned down until their eyes were level. "Come on, Liara…glow for me." Her tone was playful, but the husky timbre of her voice sent spikes of pleasure racing up Liara's spine. Swallowing hard, she sheathed her hands in dark energy. Their heads nearly bumped as they both leaned over to stare at her palms. A second later, Noa jumped up and pumped a fist in the air. "Yes! There it is!"

Liara stared with a mixture of amazement and dread as a delicate pattern began to emerge on her left palm. It was so faint it was barely visible, and it seemed incomplete, but _something_ was definitely there.

"Don't move!" Still grinning from ear to ear Noa activated her omni. "Let me do a few quick scans and get some images. I'll have to get a better look at it before I can identify it. It's literally in your skin…like melanin. We should pay attention to how quickly it fades once the current is stopped." She paused and looked at Liara, who had grown very still and quiet. "Are you okay, Liara?"

She was too stunned to speak. Inside her chest, her heart began to pound incessantly. A part of her had refused to believe Aethyta's story, hadn't wanted to believe it. The idea of a prophecy was too far-fetched, too illogical. Being a _part _of a prophecy was too…surreal and the ramifications too impossible to consider. She had focused on saving her mother, shoving the prophecy to the back of her mind. Now, faced with visible, physical evidence, the truth slammed into her like a punch to the throat, cutting off her air. She was supposed to stop an ancient race of sentient machines so advanced they eliminated an entire civilization with…with what? A jagged mark on her palm and her biotics? It was preposterous…and terrifying. Just thinking about it made her head spin. As she looked up, Noa lurched sideways…No, it was her, she realized. Her head really was spinning.

A warm arm wrapped around her, and she could hear Noa's voice speaking as if far away. There was a clatter…followed by a sharp expletive…then more warmth as she was lifted and carried, placed on something soft and cool.

"Come on beautiful." A warm hand cupped her cheek, and another rested on the curve of her waist. "Stay with me."

_She thinks I'm beautiful? _Liara struggled to open her eyes. Above her, Noa stilled and her face slowly came into focus.

"Hey there," Noa said softly. " Hang on…" As Noa removed her hand and turned, a small protest escaped her lips. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Here…" Noa held a straw to her lips. "Drink…it's juice."

Anchoring herself to the reassuring strength in Noa's gaze, she drank…the juice was sweet and cool as it washed her parched throat. "I am sorry, Noa," she said softly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for! I'm the one who should have been more careful…taken more precautions…I should have thought..."

"It was not you, Noa, nor anything you did." Heat crept from under her collar and washed her cheeks. "I was overwhelmed by..." She held up her hand and looked at her palm, but only a film of sticky residue from the gel remained where the mark had been. Twisting, she looked at Noa's fitted t-shirt and the dark, wet splotches across the front of it, one in the perfect shape of her hand print. "I have ruined your shirt."

Noa pushed her hand down, but didn't release it. "It's just a shirt, Liara." Noa eyed her appraisingly, head tilted to one side while, thumb idly tracing slow circles against the back of Liara's hand. "What are you afraid of?"

_Everything… failure…who I am…the way I feel when you are near._ "I am terrified of the possibilities, Noa. There is a great deal at stake."

Nearby, the elevator door opened. Giving her fingers a gently squeeze, Noa reluctantly released her hand just as Aethyta and Aeian stepped out of the lift.

"We're over here," Noa called, rising to her feet.

Aethtya's eyes hardened when she saw Liara. "Are you hurt, Little Wing?" She didn't wait for an answer, but turned to glare at Noa accusingly. "What the hell happened?"

"It was nothing, father. I am fine." Liara sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the cot, placing her feet on the floor. "I did not replenish adequately after my training this morning." She cast a warning glance at Aeian who appeared ready to argue. "Noa was successful, father. She triggered the mark on my hand. The image was faint, but she took scans…hopefully its shape will provide clues for what we do next."

"That's great, kid." Aethyta's response was lukewarm at best, certainly not what she expected. It was then she registering the stiff set of her father's jaw and the tight lines of worry around her eyes. She glanced at Aeian, whose expression was equally grim.

"What is it? What has happened?"

"I spoke with Sha'ira. The Council got word of geth interest in Noveria and they're sending a Spectre to investigate." Aethyta explained. "Tevos contacted Sha'ira to let her know, and also to tell her she received a message from a private contact there. The executive hotel at Port Hanshan is readying a suite for a matriarch scheduled to arrive within the week."

She stood, swaying slightly at the abrupt change in position. Noa reached out to steady her, but she brushed her hand aside. The last thing she wanted was to appear weak in front of her father. "Is it mother?"

"Tevos's contact said no name was given, but she thinks it is. The same matriarch has also booked a ground transport from the port to Peak Fifteen, where Binary Helix is headquartered."

"Mother owns significant interest in Binary Helix…it must be her!"

Aethyta nodded. "I think so too, which is why I'm going to Noveria. Based on the intel we've got, it appears Benezia is traveling to Port Hanshan without Saren. I'm going to go get her…I'll bring her back kicking and screaming if I have to." Aethyta squared her shoulders. "You and Aeian will remain here with Noa."

"Absolutely not! I am going with you!" she argued.

"No, you're not. I need you here. I need you to find one of those damned orbs. I can't ensure your safety and get Benezia…she's not herself and until I know what's going on, she's a threat. It's too risky."

"The risk is mine to accept," she said hotly, "not yours to mitigate."

"Enough," Aethyta rasped. "Goddess damn it Liara, I will order you to stay…I'll will cuff you to a damn tree if I have to, but I am asking you, please…drop it. Stay here and keep working."

She was tempted to argue, but something in Aethyta's tone stopped her. Aethyta was afraid. It was an emotion with which she could directly relate having just nearly passed out because of it, and humbling coming from a person she had seen taunt a charging krogan. Her shoulders rounded in defeat. "As you wish, father."

Some of the tension seemed to drain from Aethyta as she nodded, "Thanks kid."

She studied her father closely; she was worried for the matriarch. It was obvious she still loved Benezia. A chill settled over her as she realized Aethyta wasn't afraid of the potential danger…no, she laughed in the face of danger. She was afraid because in order to retrieve Benezia, she may need to hurt her. She wanted to comfort her, but wasn't certain how. Instead, she offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I have a name… it is not kid."

The corner of Aethyta's lips curved in an answering smile, the worry in her eyes replaced by appreciative warmth for a fleeting moment before the shadow of fear darkened them once more.


	14. Chapter 14 Memories

**Memories**

* * *

Liara stood by silently as Aethyta paced the floor like a caged animal, restless and on edge.

"I can get you and a small team clearance into Port Hanshan, Aethyta," Noa said. "I have a sales contact there, a hanar merchant named Opold. I have a few items he's been dying to get his tentacles on for years and I can arrange the sale with you acting as the intermediary. It's not how I usually conduct business, but he's so greedy he won't care…weapons will be a problem, though."

"Tevos's contact has our weapons covered…she's on assignment for some internal affairs crap involving the port administrator; the guy's a real dick apparently. She's working undercover as his secretary and can arrange getting our weapons through security."

"Giana Parasini?" Noa said, surprised. "Damn…I did not know that. I'm gonna have to by that woman a beer the next time I'm there…Anoleis is a real dick."

"How long will it take to make the arrangements with the hanar? I've got to move now…before the Spectre arrives. You can bet your ass any geth interests on Noveria involve Saren…and that means they involve Benezia."

"Opold's a greedy little bastard; arranging the sale won't be a problem." Noa looked thoughtful for a minute, then grinned wickedly. "I can help you with the Spectre, too I think…how many emergency pods does your frigate have."

"The Aeleron's got ten…why?"

"If you're willing to part with one I know something that might help. I've got several emergency distress beacons embedded with prerecorded messages. They're all synced to ships registered in various ports with legitimate ID's and cargo manifests…they're all fake of course. Have Aeian strip the transponder from one of your pods, but don't disable the life support system…if life support's down it won't look authentic. Load the pod with the distress beacon and jettison it to Veles on your way to Noveria. It's a pretty good bet the Spectre will pick up the distress call and stop to check it out. It will only buy you a day or so, but it's worth a try."

"You've done this before?" Aeian said. "I'm impressed."

"It's an effective early warning system. When I'm out at a dig site for a long stretch, I'll usually put one in system. The cargo slips registered with port authority are…robust, so looters and pirates go to them nearly every time in search of an easy target. I get an alarm on my omni if and when the beacon is deactivated."

Aethyta eyed Noa appraisingly. "I like the way you think, human…let's get to work."

* * *

Within a matter of hours, Aethyta was ready to leave.

While Jeeves packaged several truly hideous pieces of art, Noa contacted Opold to arrange their sale and to secure landing clearance for Aethyta. Rather than arriving in her own ship, she would take one of Noa's. The light frigate was well equipped and registered with Hanshan's port authority making it not only easier to gain landing clearance, but its presence wouldn't raise flags for Benezia or her followers.

Aeian prepped the escape pod, routing the distress beacon's signal through the pods systems to give the appearance of having come from the ship to which the beacon was registered. Likewise, she modified Aethyta's omni to silently track the signal and alarm when the beacon was disabled. The beacon was registered to a hospital ship to increase the likelihood the Spectre would investigate. Because Noveria was the only habitable planet in the system, the chances of another ship willing to respond were slim to nil. Noa was confident if the beacon's signal was picked up by anyone on Noveria, no aid would be sent. Access to the colony was tightly restricted by Noveria Development Corporation and none of the corporate entities operating there would risk revocation of their license to bring unregistered guests to port, even if it meant ignoring the plight of a downed pediatric transport vessel.

Liara stayed close to Aethyta while she coordinated her team. Tela and a small squad of trusted commandos would meet them on the cusp of Styx Theta and transfer ship to ship with the goal of reaching Noveria before Benezia. Their plan was risky. Rather than confront Benezia directly at the port, they would overtake her shuttle in the Aleutsk Valley before she reached Peak Fifteen.

"As much as I dislike it, I agree." Liara and Aethyta stood side by side, heads nearly touching as they studied a holographic map of the port and a surrounding valley. With a few swift keystrokes, she brought up the external defense grid. "If you confront Benezia at the port and she refuses to come with you, you will be forced to contend with port security…whether you have Benezia in your possession or not. They will arrest you and lock down the ship. Even if you managed to escape, the port is equipped with air defense cannons."

Aethyta pointed to a low ridge along the winding road leading through the valley. "If we come in from here and here, we can box her in this curve…then the work begins." Aethyta said, her gruff voice unusually somber.

"I am worried about your own transport, Aethyta. This contact of Councilor Tevos…she may be able to get your weapons into the port, but can she also secure transport to the research facility? She is an unknown, and for all that she is Tevos's eyes there, it is unlikely she will do anything that might jeopardize the security of her position or compromise her investigation."

"We'll have to cross that straight when we come to it, kid. It's not a perfect plan, but it's the best we've got.

Liara turned sideways and studied her father's profile. "Aethyta…father…what if mother fights you? I do not want to see you hurt."

"Heh," Aethyta grunted. "I'm not sure whether to be flattered or insulted by that."

"I have seen you fight. I know you are strong and capable…but mother is…"

"Yeah kid, I know. She's in a league of her own when it comes to biotics. I always said it was a good thing Nezzie was a peacemaker."

"What I really meant was… that I would not want to see you hurt by being forced to fight her," Liara said softly. "I know you still love her, and I am glad…but it will hurt you or you could be injured. Either way, I cannot stand the thought of it." Liara placed her arm around Aethyta's slender shoulders and resting her head there when she felt Aethyta's arm wrap around her waist and grip tight. "For me, mother exists as an idea more than a person," she said sadly. "I haven't shared her presence for many years. But you are here, and real and I have only just found you."

A soft tap sounded from the door and Liara lifted her head as Aethyta stepped away. She turned to find Noa watching her from the doorway, her expression unreadable. She had changed shirts. "Everything is set, and I've forwarded all the information to your omni."

Aethyta nodded, "Thanks…once I leave, don't attempt direct contact. If you need to reach me, do it through Sha'ira." She crossed the room to stand in front on Noa. "I don't have to tell you, do I?"

Smiling, Noa shook her head. "No ma'am, you do not. Don't worry, I'll keep them both safe."

"You damn well better. And if you call me ma'am again I'll put my boot in your ass…now give me a minute with my girl."

"I can take care of myself you know," Liara said as Aethyta returned to her side.

Aethyta smiled. "Yeah... if anyone needs to have a geth hurled at them, you're the asari to call." Aethyta's expression became serious. "Before I go, uh…there's something I'd like to give you…a memory. If you want it."

"Do I detect a hint of uncertainty? Is my father feeling unsure?" Liara chided softly, taking Aethyta's hands in hers and gripping."You can cancel your trip. The universe is going to collapse in three…two..."

"You're so much like your mother sometimes." Aethyta chuckled. "Such a smartass."

Liara's brows rose, "You only feel safe saying that because there are no geth nearby for me to throw at you."

They laughed until their laughter faded, and stood quietly for a few minutes. Liara had too much to say and too few words to adequately convey her feelings. Finally she nodded, "I would be honored to accept your gift, father." Her lips curved in an impish grin. "Is it a pony?"

"Close your eyes, brat, or that's exactly what its going to be."

She closed her eyes and her world shifted.

She looked through her father's eyes and saw her mother. Benezia's head was thrown back against Aethyta's shoulder, and her eyes were closed, their corners crinkled as her laughter rang out at something ridiculous she had just said. As she quieted, she leaned back against Aethyta's chest, nestling close, and even though Aethyta knew the sun they had come to watch set was seconds from disappearing below the water, she couldn't tear her eyes away from her. She wrapped her arms protectively around Benezia, surging with pride and love and a feeling so intense it had no name as her hands came to rest on Benezia's swollen belly. A sharp kick beat against her hand, and Benezia's hand moved quickly to cover it, lacing their fingers together.

"She's lively today," Benezia said, smiling as another kick batted against their joined hands. "We have made a strong daughter, Aethyta. What do you think she will be? A scholar? A leader?…a dancer?" Benezia's throaty laughter vibrated against her chest.

"A bartender," Aethyta countered, playfully nudging the side of Benezia's crest with her nose."I don't care what she does, Nezzie, just don't treat her like a little bird. Our girl is going to be special. You just wait, she'll raise one hell of a ruckus with her little wings." As if to prove Aethyta's point, a flurry of taps batted against their hands and their joined laughter rose like birdsong.

"Be easy my love…my Little Wing." Benezia cooed. "It won't be long until you fly."

There was so much love, it was staggering. Liara was surrounded by it, infused with it…it filled her heart and stole her breath, and still she ached for more.

Her world shifted again and her eyes flew open. Tears streamed down her cheeks and Aethyta's hands wiped them away. "Aw hell, kid. Don't cry," Aethyta rasped.

Liara's arms flew around her father, squeezing so tightly Aethyta grunted in surprise. "Thank you…thank you so much. I love you, too."

Aethyta gently rubbed her back. "I know, kid…now let me go before you mess up my leathers." Liara released her and stepped back. Aethyta studied her for a moment, her eyes filled with pride, and a terrible, lonely ache. "That's what I lost, Liara, and what I need to get back."

Liara reached forward and gently rested the tips of her first three fingers against Aethyta's forehead. "Goddess Athame bless you and guide you, father. Bring her back. Bring her back to us."


	15. Chapter 15 Water and Stone

**A/N *** Trigger Warning**** **

This chapter is NOT violent, but it contains content some might find a bit triggery for non-consensual sexual contact. I don't want to spoil it, but I wanted to offer fair warning.

**Water and Stone**

* * *

From the guest room window, Liara watched the wind. Great gusts tore down the mountain, sweeping across the tree tops like a stroking hand. Even inside, she could feel the charge in the air, the weight of violence ready to be unleashed pressing down from the clouds overhead. Though it was only late afternoon, the sky was ominously dark.

The tightly wound mass field she held hovering over her palm reflected off the inside of the window. Turning her attention to it, she concentrated, shrinking it further. It was an exercise to hone precision and control; one she had long enjoyed for its simplicity. Often, biotics involved generating large fields and forces. Here, the idea was to think small, to create the most compact field possible using the the minimum bio-electrical current and the least amount of dark energy. It required perfect balance. Too little of either and the resulting field was useless, a formless vapor. Too much and the time she could maintain it would be drastically reduced. Done just right, she created an effect that was shapeable and easily maintained for protracted periods of time.

As with the throw she had done outside, the orb's shape was created by rapidly pulsing bio-electrical currents through a chain of eezo nodes. The kinetic energy generated from the collision of the electrical impulses and the dark energy released from her bodies eezo stores created the necessary impetus to shape the field and make it spin. Sometimes, she would create a triad of perfectly round mass fields the size of a prayer tokens, and deftly lob them from palm to palm in an odd sort of biotic juggling. Aeian had laughed and said she was going to paint her nose red, though she had no idea why. She simply found the concise, repetitive motion calming, and she needed calm. She needed control.

Aethyta had been gone for three days and since her departure she had hidden in her room, seeing no one. She found it ironic that after such a short time together, her father's unscheduled departure was as unsettling as her abrupt entrance into her life had been. With gruff tenderness and blunt yet honest speech, Aethyta had become her rock. A lonely sigh escaped her lips and condensed against the window; she missed the solid reassurance of her father's presence. While it was gratifying to have a father to miss, it didn't make missing her any easier.

Their brief meld had only given her a small glimpse of her father's mind, but the weight of her presence still lingered in her consciousness. Her first impressions of her father had been that she was coarse, loud, and brash…and she was. There was no denying it…but the still, quiet lake of her mind held not a drop of bravado or conceit. Instead, she was quietly confident and immensely strong…unassuming and true. Surrounded by Aethyta's strength during their meld, she had never felt so safe. The contact had also provided context… she now understood why Aethyta was perfect for her mother, and what Benezia had seen in Aethyta. Benezia was hard stone, shaped by centuries of experience and influence. Aethyta was water, infinitely able to shift and adapt.

The memory Aethyta had shared with her had been a blessing and a curse. She had nearly forgotten the sound of Benezia's laughter…the warmth and buoyancy of it… her beauty, her grace. Now having seen her mother again, having felt her, even if indirectly…she ached to reconnect with her. There had been no word from Noveria and she was nearly sick with worry for both of them.

Outside, the first fat drops of rain bounced off the leaves in quick staccato tings; seconds later, the sky burst. Lightning streaked across the belly of the clouds and rain poured down in thick sheets pushed wildly by the restless wind.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

Caught totally off guard, she spun toward the door, so flush with pride for not hurling the biotic orb at Noa's head she forgot to be startled. That Noa had opened the door without her knowing spoke volumes about her level of distraction. She hadn't expected to see her…had thought she didn't want to see anyone…but Noa's presence was a surprisingly welcome distraction from her maudlin thoughts.

"Yes, it is." She turned back to the window. "This is the first inland storm I have seen up close like this. The temple on Nevos and my family's estate in Armali are both by the sea." She studied Noa's reflection as she approached. Her hair was pulled back and she wore a fitted green t-shirt and loose, soft pants that sat low on her hips. It was more than a little unnerving that Noa was stunning in anything.

Noa moved to her side and gestured toward the orb that still danced in her hands. "That little biotic thing you're doing…does it hurt? I've often wondered what it felt like."

"No," the corner of her lips tugged up at Noa's description. "No, it does not hurt." She paused, trying to find words. "I do not know if I can explain how it feels to generate a mass field. I think it would be like a fish explaining to a person how it feels to breathe in water." She turned and held her glowing palm between them. "I can feel it over my skin, but doing it is…it is inexplicable." She let the ball fizzle out. "I think about what I want to do, I focus my energy, and it happens." The biotic orb reformed over her hand. "It is like…space magic." Smiling, she held up her hand, "Would you like to feel it?"

Noa took a wary step back. "Yes…and no."

"It is a small bundle of energy with just enough momentum to keep it spinning," she explained patiently. "It will not harm you." She gave Noa a knowing grin, "Trust me."

"Hey, that's my line." Noa raised her hand and slowly lowered it over the orb, eyes widening with wonder as her palm brushed its surface. "That is the coolest thing ever…it tingles."

"Yes, it does." Liara agreed. "Now, hold out your hand." When Noa shook her head, she used her free hand to grasp Noa's, lifting it and turning her palm up. Smiling, Liara slid the orb onto Noa's palm.

Noa's face lit as she smiled widely. "Oh my god…_this _is the coolest thing ever!"

Liara's brow knit. "You have said that twice, but it is not cool, nor is it warm…mass fields have no real thermal properties..it is only when…"

"No," Noa laughed. "I don't mean temperature cool, I mean…_amazing_ cool." While Liara focused to keep the orb spinning, Noa ran her hands over it, eventually sinking her fingers through it. When she did, the field dissipated and she made a mock sad face. "Aw..I broke the space magic."

"Yes…yes you did….no more space magic for you," she teased.

Noa's scanned the room quickly and lightly touched her arm. "I've got an idea..."

As Liara turned her attention back to the storm, Noa approached the far edge of a low sofa that abutted the nearby wall and faced the center of the room.

"Noa…what are you doing?"

"Hang on…" Hiking the end of the sofa up, she walked it backwards and lowered it so that the it now faced the window. After nudging it with her hip a few times to center it, she jogged to the control panel by the bed and turned off the lights before coming back and sitting cross-legged on the newly relocated couch. "Come on…sit with me." Noa patted the cushion beside her, smiling as she sat, and nodded toward the storm, "Watching a storm is better than a vid…all that's missing is the popcorn."

The silence stretched out, but it wasn't uncomfortable or empty. It was filled with the sound of rain, the occasional rumble of thunder, and the ever present tension that existed between them. She had never been as aware of another person as she was of Noa. It was as if the mass of Noa's personality was so great that even if she was across the room, she was captured by her gravity.

"So," Noa tapped her thumbs against her bent knees. "I'm glad we've got the storm to watch, but I really just wanted to check in on you. If you need space, I get it, but... I know you're worried about your parents, but you've been um, noticeably absent. Is everything okay?"

Maybe it was the near dark, or the storm. Maybe it was the genuine concern in Noa's voice, or her curiously colored eyes that seemed to _see _her. Maybe she was simply lonely… but she felt compelled to answer. "I do not know how to answer you, Noa. You said you knew little of my life before we met and I do not know if I can explain in a way you will understand." She drew her knees up and hugged them to her chest "My entire life has changed so much and so rapidly that processing it is difficult. I am…was…am a priestess. It is rare for a maiden to reach my rank so quickly but I did, and I loved it…or I _thought_ I did. Now, I do not know if I ever cared for it at all…I am not certain of anything. Nothing is as it was. I am not who I was…or even who I thought I was. It is…unsettling."

Noa halted her nervous drumming as she smiled softly. "Unsettling…that sounds like a priestess word that translates in lay terms to scary as fuck."

"Yes…that is an accurate assessment." _Too accurate. _ "But by the goddess, I am tired of feeling afraid. It accomplishes nothing…it makes me weak and angry with myself."

Noa turned sideways to face her and leaned back against the arm of the sofa. "Come on now…give yourself a bit of a break, Liara. Change _is _scary…even when you go looking for it."

In the dimly lit room, with lighting flashing over the surrounding mountains and the steady wash of rain pouring from the sky, when Noa held out her hand, sliding hers into it felt like the most natural thing in the world. As their palms grazed one another she felt the touch down to her toes. _Another thing to fear. _Though for the moment, she didn't care. She needed the connection.

"I cannot imagine _you_ being afraid of anything, Noa."

Noa laughed, "That's because you've never seen me around spiders."

"You are afraid of spiders? Truly?"

Noa suppressed a shudder, "Spiders are just plain creepy…whenever I see one there usually lots of squealing, running, and stomping involved." Noa chuckled softly, and her eyes shone with mirth and a shared secret. "It's quite embarrassing, actually."

"Ah, so the truth comes out…you reside here alone with no one but Jeeves to witness your secret fear of arachnids," she teased. "I should like very much to hear this girlish squeal, I think."

"Not a chance, T'Soni." Noa gently squeezed her hand and her expression grew somber. "Growing up on Earth, it was just me and my mom. I didn't have a father, and I didn't have a lot of friends because I didn't fit in. I was awkward and shy back then, believe it or not…and way too smart. In school, I was moved to higher levels to match the curriculum with my ability… which was okay for my education, but made everything else exponentially worse. I was teased mercilessly. I got in fights all the time…daily actually."

Liara stiffened, "You hit other children and they hit you?"

"Yeah…maybe it's a human thing." Noa shrugged as if it was unimportant so she said nothing else, though she ground her teeth at the thought of anyone hurting Noa.

"Eventually things got so bad I quit school… but I still needed to finish my education; I was only fourteen. My mom didn't have the money to pay for private tutors so I decided it was time to find my father. My mom refused to talk about him but… well….it took me two years, but I found him."

"Benezia never spoke of Aethyta either, however in retrospect I believe her silence was justified by the circumstances surrounding my birth."

" You're lucky; I think my mom never talked about my dad because he was a jerk." Noa sighed, "My parents met on Beckenstein. My father was there for a weekend business trip, my mom for a week long lecture series as part of a grant agreement. They met…one thing led to another…it was just a one night stand. When I found out, I understood but…it wasn't the way I imagined it." Noa smiled sadly. "I had all these grand fantasies of who my father was and why he and my mom weren't together, you know? I used to think maybe he was in the SA, or involved in politics… or a famous research scientist away on a long dig. It seems ridiculous when I think about it now."

"No…I used to do the same with my father," Liara said. "She is nothing like I imagined… in many ways she is better."

"My father was nothing like I imagined either." Noa frowned, "He was worse in every way possible. He's a businessman…incredibly wealthy, powerful…and an ego-maniacal jerk. When I told him I was his daughter, he laughed. He accused me of lying, but I could tell from his reaction that he knew it was true. When a DNA test confirmed it, he went a little nuts…He said I was an unfortunate accident, a genetic mistake…that he already had a daughter…a genetically perfect daughter who would carry on his 'dynasty'." She mimed quotes with her free hand.

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah…somewhere, but we've never met and we never will. In exchange for my silence, my father funded my education. When I became an adult, his attorneys contacted me and made our mutual loathing contractually obligatory in perpetuity. I'm never to contact him or my sister…he stays away from me and my mother." Noa stared out the window, her eyes far away. "I don't regret it; when he purchased my silent absence my father made me rich. Through wise investments and financial management, I _keep_ me rich, and I don't go anywhere near him…or her."

"It is their loss, Noa."

"Maybe…but it's mine too." Noa ducked her head, as if embarrassed by the admission. "At any rate… I went from poor to wealthy. I had to deal with my mom finding out what I had done…she was _not_ happy. I had a sister I would never know, and my father turned out to be a complete ass. It was a lot of change all at once and not necessarily the good kind. I was pretty devastated at the time and I was nowhere near ready to cope with it. So yeah, even though our circumstances aren't exactly the same, I can understand where you're coming from."

"Thank you, Noa. Not only for sharing that with me, but for understanding." She smiled softly. "Aeian was right."

"About what?" Noa eyes met hers, questioning.

"She said humans are intelligent and genuinely warm." She was glad for the dim lights when she blushed. "At first I though she was referring to your temperature, however I have come to see she meant genuinely kind and caring."

"Well I'm glad to be a worthy ambassador for humans…and we are warm…I mean, body temperature wise."

"Yes, I…I know." She looked down at their joined hands, enjoying the contrast between the blue and tan of their interlaced fingers…and the warmth seeping up her arm and into her chest. "Your hands always feel hot compared to mine."

"And I always worry you're cold." Noa unlocked their fingers and cupped Liara's hand between her own, thumbs lightly brushing her palm. The move was casual, but each stroke sparked a jolt a pleasure low in her belly.

"No…I am rarely cold." _Especially when you are near…or touching me…goddess…_

Noa's eyes drifted up to her crests, "Yeah…I forget crests are very efficient thermo-regulators. Asari seem to have a knack for combining beautiful form and function." She studied their joined hands for a moment and offered her a self deprecating smile. "I really had absolutely no idea you had never met a human before…I'm really sorry about that. It was a tasteless assumption on my part."

"No…it was an honest and reasonable mistake." She bit her lip as Noa absently traced the contours of her knuckles with her fingertips, light, barely there touches that made her skin tingle and her pulse skip.

"The first time I saw an asari in person, I was sixteen…it was on the transport to Beckenstein, actually… and I could _not_ stop staring. It was horrible," she laughed. "She said something to me…probably ' stop staring annoying human' but my translator wasn't programmed with any asari dialects. I was blown away by her voice… even your language is beautiful."

"Is that what motivated you to study it?" Noa's elusive scent was wreaking havoc with her ability to concentrate and she found her eyes repeatedly drawn to Noa's lips, still curved in a smile, wondering what they would feel like under the tips of her fingers…they looked very soft.

"Initially, yes. Well, that and I like learning about other cultures. I don't know much. Just enough to get by in a pinch, but ancient Armalic….I need to learn more of that. I've got some ancient asari writings I should let you take a look at one of these days…if you'd like, that is."

Liara nodded, "Yes, I would like that very much." Noa's hands were now kneading her palm and she fought the urge to melt into the sofa. Aeian had said Noa had been trying to communicate her interest and she briefly wondered if this kind of touch was how humans did so. Noa seemed inclined to touch her hands often…not that she was complaining. The combination of her heightened awareness of Noa, her nearness, her scent, and now her compelling touch was causing her to slowly unravel at the seams.

"You're quiet," Noa said softly. "What are you thinking about?"

She was saved from sharing her thoughts by a bright flash of lightning that spiked across the sky casting a blue glow across Noa's face and hair. A curling lock has escaped its band and fallen against the smooth skin of her cheek. When Noa blew sideways to dislodge it, Liara's eyes helplessly followed the motion.

"Count yourself lucky you have crests and not hair," Noa said, watching her. "I like it, but it has a mind of its own."

Liara frowned. _A mind of its own? No…surely not. _"Is..is that true or..?"

"I just realized how that must sound.. No, I meant it's unruly," Noa laughed and shook her head. "Damn, that's no better…Uh, it kind of does what it wants? No, that's worse." She laughed again. "I never realized how difficult explaining hair is. It's just…hair." She reached back with one hand and pulled the band holding it free. While Liara stared, rapt, she tossed her head lightly to shake it out. Noa smiled and scooted closer, leaning forward slightly "You can touch it if you'd like, that may help."

Her heart began to race as she turned sideways on the sofa and slowly lifted her fingers, pausing just before reaching the first curling locks. "Are you…are you sure, Noa?" she asked softly, honestly fearing that once she got her hands in Noa's hair, she might never let go.

"Sure…touch all you want," Noa's voice was soft and low.

Fighting the temptation to rush, she pinched one soft curl between her finger and thumb, rolling the strands back and forth before winding it around her finger.

"If I had hair such as yours I would never confine it." Her eyes flitted to Noa's, searching for any indication that she might be hurting her in some way, but Noa remained still and quiet as if holding her breath, lips slightly parted, eyes intently watching her. Unable to resist the urge any longer, she pushed her hands fully into Noa's hair, allowing the silky textured strands to caress her skin. "Goddess…Noa, it is…so soft." It shimmered in the dim light in shades of gold and light brown. The weight of it was glorious against the backs of her hands as she worked her fingers through it and she briefly wondered what if would feel like trailing across her naked skin. The thought sent growing tendrils of heat snaking up her spine. "I am not hurting you am I?"

"No..not at all." Noa's voice was a husky whisper. "Quite the opposite."

As her fingertips continued to to massage Noa's scalp, Noa made a low hum of pleasure and the growing heat inside her flickered to a burning flame. She was so entranced by Noa's hair and the soft sounds she made, she jumped when she felt Noa's trembling fingertips lightly brush the mid-line of one of her crests and slide along its length, pausing to gently massage its tip.

"Wow, they're…um, soft…like ears." Her breath caught as Noa's fingers slid down her neck and around to her nape.

Unprepared for the sudden onslaught of sensations, her eyes widened briefly then fell shut. Everything around her faded away. Her existence winnowed down to her own racing heart, and Noa… Noa's hair and the rasp of her unsteady breath, her lightly teasing fingertips, the heat and scent rising from her body. She doubted Noa understood what her hands were doing…the sensations were so overwhelming she barely understood it herself… but she did _not_ want her to stop. When Noa flicked her finger over a particularly sensitive ridge, a low moan tore past her lips. "Noa," she gasped. "Crests are…goddess…crests are not like hair." She was going to die. Melt. Combust. "They are _very _sensitive."

Noa's hand stilled abruptly, "Should I stop? "

"No….goddess…no.." Noa's fingers felt like heaven. Every gentle stroke sent frenzied torrents of pleasure rocketing through her. She hadn't known…had never imagined….It was too much. Her fingers flexed and curled into fists in Noa's hair, driving her back into the corner of the sofa. Noa's eyes, dark with a desire that matched her own hovered before her. Separated by inches, the air between them was charged and heavy, as expectant and urgent as the storm. Her gaze flicked to Noa's lips. She wanted them against hers.

She captured Noa's mouth with her own…goddess…the heat of her. A sharp cry of pleasure tore from her throat as the tip of Noa's tongue sought entrance to her mouth and she tilted her head, deepening the kiss. Goddess…she could spend hours drinking in the taste of her, every slick and subtle texture of her. When Noa's fingers slid into a particularly sensitive hidden area at her nape, she felt as if she had stepped into another world, a world saturated in pleasure so intense she wanted to scream. The unexpected pressure of it mounted inside her.

Hungry, aching and unsure, she pulled away and buried her face against Noa's neck, breathing deeply and shuddering with pleasure. "Noa…please…"

"Liara…" Noa shifted her shoulder, nudging her up until their eyes met. "Look at me…don't close your eyes…let me see you." Noa's eyes held hers captive as her nimble fingers continued to drive her slowly insane. She could feel Noa's heart pounding through the thin material of her shirt, the rapid rise and fall of her chest, and the warmth of her breath quivering against her lips as her breath panted in and out.

Without ceasing the cunning work of her hands, Noa pulled Liara's mouth back to hers and when Noa's tongue slid past her lips to explore her mouth, she welcomed it eagerly. She pressed closer, deepening the kiss, aching for more, reveling in the soft sounds Noa made.

Noa's hands were magic, her mouth delicious, her tongue lively. She wanted…she wanted to do more of whatever was causing Noa to make those soft, desperate sounds. Goddess, she wanted to consume her and be consumed by her, to devour every inch of her skin and be devoured, to possess every shred of her and be possessed.

A sudden bright flash just outside the window followed immediately by a thunderous boom caused them both to jump, pulling their lips apart. Noa turned her head to investigate, and Liara collapsed onto her, burning alive, near molten with desire. Pulling her hands from Noa's hair, she began tugging at her shirt, desperate to feel more of her… all of her…

"Liara…hey..hey.." Noa's words came out in panting bursts, and she moaned as Liara's hands slid under her shirt. "Liara…wait."

"I want to feel you."

"I know." Noa's eyes screwed shut. "Trust me, I know. Christ…" She elicited another intoxicating gasp as her hands slid up the contoured muscle of Noa's stomach and cupped her breasts. "Liara…you've got to stop."

No. She needed her…she wanted all of her…she reached out with her will, trembling with pleasure as her mind lightly brushed against Noa's bright aura. Everything about her was so beautiful it was nearly painful. She would have her. Tonight. Now. Reaching for her gift, she slid her will over Noa's.

"You don't want me to stop, Noa," she whispered the words against her neck, tongue darting out to lick the skin where her pulse hammered. The fingers of one hand lightly grazed Noa's nipple and her lips curved in satisfaction when Noa keened sharply in response.

Noa's hands slid to her shoulders and when Liara lifted her head, they softly cupped her cheeks. "You are right…you have no idea how right you are…I do _not_ want you to stop." Noa brought her lips to Liara's, trailing teasing soft kisses over their surface. "But you have to."

_No._ Noa's heart pounded against her palm. Her lips nibbled softly at the corner of her mouth. Goddess…the scent of her skin and hair… Frantic with need, Liara sent a pulse of mental energy along the link she had created between them, groaning when she felt it slip away. She sent another, stronger. She _would_ claim her…she must…

"Liara?" Noa said, her voice thick with desire and eyes wide and tinged with wonder. "Is that you? I can feel you hovering…."

At Noa's words, the reality of what she had almost done…had tried to do…would have done…slammed into her.

"Goddess…" Quickly severing the connection she stumbled backward off the sofa, nearly falling in her haste to put distance between them as she fled to the far side of the room.

"Liara?" Noa's concerned voice rose behind her as she fled. "What's wrong?"

Shame filled her. She choked on it, her throat suddenly too tight to speak. She couldn't bring herself to look at Noa. She sat on the bed facing the wall and buried her face in her hands, eyes burning. What had she become? She was worse than Ardat-Yakshi. When they did not stop it was because the genetic disorder caused an uncontrollable compulsion. She had known what she was doing. She had wanted to do it, chosen it. She could have chosen to stop, but she didn't. The only thing that had kept her from ensnaring Noa's will was the human's…inexplicable resistance. Otherwise, she would have…goddess she had nearly…

The sharp clink of ice dropping into a glass sounded behind her and the slosh of pouring liquid. She felt Noa's approach, felt the bed sink as she sat beside her. "Liara…take this." Noa's voice was tight. "I want you to drink it…all of it." There was a pregnant pause. "Come on, Liara…trust me."

_Trust me…_The dam holding in Liara's tears burst. Her shoulders shook as she cried into her hands. Warm fingers closed around her wrists and panic filled her, she didn't trust herself…she was a threat…a menace. Her eyes flew up. "Goddess…do not…please do not touch me."

The hurt and confusion on Noa's face as she quickly released her burned like a scourge. Without touching her, Noa rose from the bed, placed the drink on the nightstand, and knelt on the floor at her feet. "Liara…I know my timing was…horrible and I'm sorr…."

"No!" Liara wailed, "No…please do not apologize…I cannot stand it!"

Noa rocked back onto her heels as if slapped and leaned back against the wall staring up at her uncertainly. Painful silence stretched out between them for several minutes before Noa finally pushed off the floor and stood. "I, uh…yeah, I should go."

As she turned to leave, Liara's hand lashed out, clamping around her wrist and pulling her back down before quickly releasing her. "Wait…please." The last thing she wanted was for Noa to feel guilt or remorse when she was the victim…Noa had nothing for which to apologize. _Goddess forgive me. _"You did nothing wrong, Noa." Her voice shook and every fiber of her burned with shame, but she forced herself to look into Noa's eyes, choking back a sob as she did at the brilliance of them, knowing she would have stripped that from her if she could have until they saw nothing but her. _Goddess forgive me. _"I swear to you by the Goddess herself, and upon my house and name, you did nothing wrong."

"Then why, Liara? What the hell is going on?"

Liara forced herself to keep looking into Noa's eyes, knowing the revulsion she would soon see. She forced her lips to form the words, though she could not manage more than a whisper. "I tried to force you," she confessed.

"What are you talking about?" Noa's expression held confusion and disbelief.

" Noa…not five minutes ago, I tried to…to rape you. I tried to force myself on you."

A look of relief washed over Noa's face and she smiled softly. "That's not rape, Liara. You got a little carried away when I said we needed to slow down, but we were both really into it," She smiled crookedly, and her fingers lightly traced Liara's knee as her voice dropped to a husky whisper, "I was definitely into it."

Liara leaped to her feet, pushing her away. "By the goddess, Noa!_ I tried to rape you!_" The words shredded her, reduced her to less than nothing. It made them no less true. _Goddess forgive me. _Unable to remain still, she hugged herself and began pacing. "You do not understand…when you said we should stop, I did not care. I did not pause to consider your wishes, or to understand why you wanted to…I..I wanted you so desperately. You felt me…when you said you felt me hovering around you, that _was _me. That was me trying to…" her voice broke as she choked on the words. "That was me trying to control you, to strip your will…it did not work, and I do not know why, but that is the _only _thing that saved you, because if it had worked I would be…we would be…" An image of Noa, naked and moving under her, whispering her name as she pressed her lips against her skin flashed through Liara's mind, accompanied by a wave of desire so strong it nearly brought her to her knees. She clutched her stomach, swallowing repeatedly to keep from vomiting. _Goddess forgive me. _

"I know about melds, Liara." Noa argued. "Even with a meld, you couldn't have forced me to do anything I didn't want to do."

"Stop trying to defend me! You do not understand… I would not need to force you!" She stalked to Noa's feet, loomed over her, hands gesturing wildly. "I would have made you _beg _ me to please you, and _you would have_! You would have desired my touch more than food, or water. I wanted you so badly I wanted to _own _you, and you would have given yourself to me completely! It wasn't a meld, Noa. I would never force a meld on anyone." She wanted to laugh at the cruel irony."No, it was something much worse. I am…" _I am broken. "_I am not safe for you, Noa."

"Stop it!" Noa said, lunging to her feet. "Don't say that about yourself! No one can do what you're describing. You can't control anyone's mind like that, no one can."

"You are wrong!" Liara yelled, fists curling in frustration. "Why will you not listen?"

"Because nothing you're saying makes any damn sense!" Noa retorted hotly."Why are you taking something that was so beautiful… that felt so wonderful, and…and ripping it apart? You wouldn't…betray me like that." A tear streaked down Noa's cheek and she angrily swiped it away. "You wouldn't _do_ that to me!…I don't believe it. This…us…we are more than just…no, I _won't_ believe it. Even if you could manipulate me, you would _never_ do that to me!"

Liara approached her slowly, dying inside with every step she took. She raised a trembling hand to Noa's chin, cupping it in her fingers as she forced herself to meet Noa's tortured eyes. "Yes…I would." She saw the moment Noa's doubt faded and the truth sank in. She felt it like a piece of red hot metal ripping through her chest, shredding her heart until nothing remained but a charred hole.

Noa's jaw clenched and she wrenched away from Liara's hand to glare at her through eyes like open wounds, livid with pain. For a moment, Liara thought Noa would strike her. She hoped she would.

When Noa raised her hand, she flinched and a hard bark of laughter slipped through Noa's clenched teeth. Her eyes were hard, but her fingertips were gentle and warm as she lightly caressed her cheek. When the pad of her thumb whispered across her lips, Liara's tongue raced out to meet it and as she spoke, Noa lightly teased its tip. It was beautiful and agonizing, pleasure wrapped in pain, as if neither was certain where the limits between them lay, inexorably drawn together even as they were torn apart.

"You know the most fucked up thing about all of this, Liara?" Noa's voice was ragged and aching and tears flowed down her cheeks. "I would have begged you to touch me, if that's what you wanted. God knows your touch is worth it. I would have given myself to you completely, without restraint or regret, and I would have thought of you to the exclusion of everything and everyone else. " Noa's thumb slid into her mouth, stroking her tongue and sending sweet shocks of heat and cold waves of self-loathing rippling through her. Noa hissed when Liara's teeth lightly scraped her skin as she pulled away. "I would have given you everything I am…willingly. I just wanted to give us more time to get there." Her eyes darkened with anguish. "I thought this was…" She sighed, "I wanted this to be more… I'll send Aeian to you. I don't think you should be alone right now."

Pivoting on her heel, she walked away.

A/N… This chapter was a BEAST to write and I hope I successfully conveyed everything I was trying to accomplish with it.

Sexual coercion and date rape are incredibly common. I was recently reading (a very sad) article about a young girl in Canada who was raped by four teen boys while she was drunk. Pictures were taken. Pictures were shared. She was bullied so severely by her peers she committed suicide. Afterward, one of the rapists….keep in mind this guy is only fourteen or fifteen…. went to the girl's mother and apologized but (even though there was photographic evidence to the contrary) he denied being a rapist. He genuinely, honestly, literally just did not get it. In his mind….even though she was hopelessly intoxicated…she had consented. So this chapter is a reflection of my recent attempts to understand young men (and women, because women rape, too) and what blurs the line between consent and rape. I specifically wanted to write this from the POV of the perpetrator because it's not done enough in a way that reflects remorse or guilt, and trust me…Liara is feeling like crap right about now.

In the next two chapters, Aeian is going to offer some really valuable insight into what Liara's underlying motivators are here…and then we move the plot forward.


	16. Chapter 16 Janiris Wreath

**Janiris Wreath**

* * *

As soon as the door closed behind Noa, Liara tore off her clothes and leaped into the shower, desperate to remove Noa's lingering scent from her skin. After a few short minutes, the earthy smell was gone, but her guilt remained. She scrubbed furiously, but it clung to her skin like rancid oil, sickening and slick.

She watched the scalding water from the shower swirl down the drain and disappear, envious of the ease with which it slipped from sight. She wanted to disappear, to go away, but she deserved no such respite. Every breath she took ached more than the one before, every second brought a new wave of pain but even as it razed her, she welcomed it…a deserved penance for her betrayal. She scrubbed, relieved when it began to hurt. She needed an external pain to balance the raw, burning ache inside her. She lost track of time. She scrubbed until the water turned a pale purple, kept scrubbing until the water turned cold and hit her skin like shards of ice but it wasn't enough… she would never be clean.

Turning off the shower jets, she opened the door and stepped out, only vaguely aware of her surroundings. Neglecting the towel hanging on the rack she moved to the mirror, more out of habit than a desire to see. Unable to stand the sight of her own face, she averted her eyes.

Beside her, the door opened and Aeian's head appeared. Her eyes, dark with worry, widened and she burst through the door. "Oh goddess, ari…what have you done?" Grabbing a towel Aeian rushed to her side and began patting her skin, the towel coming away more and more lavender with every gentle swipe. She grit her teeth, biting back a hiss of pain. In the mirror, continuous swatches of torn and raw skin covered her from shoulders to knees.

Wordlessly, Aeian retrieved a soft spare blanket, gently draped it over her shoulders, and propelled her from the bathroom and onto the bed. Her omni-tool glowed orange, though the light seemed oddly muted. "Jeeves, I need a med-kit in Liara's room…please hurry."

"No," she said softly. "I do not want any medi-gel."

Aeian said nothing, just looked at her with quiet gray eyes and an unreadable expression until Jeeves arrived with the kit. She accepted it from him at the door and shooed him away before returning to Liara's side.

She couldn't meet her ari's eyes. "I don't want it, Aeian."

"You'll notice I didn't ask you, ari…this isn't a choice. If you have any love for me at all, you will shut up, lay still and let me tend to you." The bed sank under Aeian's weight as she sat beside Liara and began applying medi-gel to her flayed skin. When she was done, she closed the kit, disposed of the empty tubes, and dimmed the lights before climbing into the bed next to her. When Liara rolled away, Aeian snuggled up behind her, being mindful of her skin, and spooned her gently.

"Did Noa tell you?" she whispered.

"Yes…she did."

A fresh flood of shame filled her but she had no more tears to cry. She felt as empty and hollow as a shell. "Then why are you here, Aeian? I do not deserve your kindness…any kindness."

Aeian sighed, "That's not true, ari…you made a mistake; one I should have foreseen. You deserve more kindness than anyone I've ever known." There was a pregnant pause. "You've never asked how I know your father, or why I'm even here."

Liara rolled over to face her, ignoring her screaming skin as it rubbed against the blanket. "It would be rude to question the motivations of a T'Goni."

"Don't pull that shit with me," Aeian scoffed. "This is the T'Goni who just rubbed medi-gel all over your naked blue ass, Liara."

"Then why? Why are you a part of this…this madness?"

Aeian readjusted the pillow under her head. "When I was a girl, I traveled with my mother to your family estate. It was Janiris and we always toured the branch family houses over the holiday. I almost met you there."

"I do not recall you…I remember being presented to your mother a few days after she and her retinue arrived. I was terrified and she was beautiful…and severe. Afterward, I hid between the dika shrubs while she and my mother strolled through the garden. She wore a purple gown with pearls sewn into the train and every time they passed I tried to count them."

Aeian smiled, "I always liked that gown, too….you were just a child, perhaps fifteen or so…I wasn't much older. I don't even think I'd reached my thirtieth year at that point. On the way to the estate, I overheard my mother and some of her followers mention you and I remember being relieved there would be another girl there to play with who was hopefully young enough that she didn't mind getting dirty." Aeian scowled, "In my opinion, asari place way too much value on cleanliness when it comes to children.

When we arrived I was surprised…and disappointed that you weren't with Benezia to greet us. An excuse was made, I don't recall what it was…only that my mother accepted it without question, which was unusual for her. The following day I wanted to seek you out, but every time I tried, one of my maids or one of mother's followers would come up with some reason to delay me…it was time to make wreaths, or my dress needed to be altered, or I was needed somewhere. All the other maidens were coming and going through our rooms, and my mother kept sending me off with them to the gardens or the beach…they were all as uppity and useless as you can imagine."

Aeian's light eyes glowed with anger in the dim light, "We were sleeping under your roof, Liara. We were both maidens. That was back when I gave a damn about formality and by protocol. Even I knew we should have been introduced the first day. It was infuriating and I didn't understand. I finally cornered my mother and demanded to know why she was being so rude and why everyone seemed so bent on keeping me from meeting you. She said it would reflect poorly on our house for me to be seen enjoying the company of a…a pureblood."

"Aeian I…"

"No…let me finish. You know how asari work…infiltration and sabotage…the same is true for social rules. Asari can be vindictive and spiteful bitches sometimes, but it's always done discreetly. She said that _out loud_, Liara, where anyone nearby could hear. She said it at Matriarch Benezia's home about _you, _her daughter. I was…damn, I was speechless…and furious. That was the first time I encountered such…open, unapologetic bigotry. It was disgusting to me, even then." She paused. " A great deal of credit is given to the wisdom of matriarchs among asari, Liara, but children are wise in ways matriarch's have long since forgotten. I don't think I spoke with Yindra for a full month after that.

I remember finally seeing you in the gardens the last evening of our visit." A sad smile played across Aeian's lips, "You were beautiful even then, with eyes so big and blue they seemed to swallow your face. And you were so small…and lonely looking. You were surrounded by your mother's followers while the other maidens danced and decorated each other in flowers. I was furious because it was obvious every maiden, matron, and matriarch there was pretending you didn't exist because _my _mother set the example and not wanting to displease the great Matriarch Yindra, they followed like sheep….I gave you a wreath? Do you remember?"

"That was you?" Liara remembered the moment well. A young maiden had elbowed her way past Shiala, tossed a wreath of flowers around her neck, and sprinted away. It had happened so fast she'd barely seen her.

"Yes," Aeian smiled. "I was determined you would have something, I was only sad I couldn't present it properly. Two of mother's followers tried to catch me before I could do it, so I had to hurry."

"I still have one of the flowers. I had it pressed so I could keep it," she said.

"I am glad it pleased you, Liara." Her smile fell, "Had my mother not been there you might have joined in the celebration."

"No…it is not likely. I was only out that evening at Benezia's insistence, otherwise I would have been closeted off, reading somewhere, or studying…though I think if _you _had asked me, I would have danced with you…or played on the beach."

Aeian smiled, her white teeth bright in the dim light."I am glad you were not reading that night. Afterward, Sha'ira approached me. She had seen me give you the wreath, and she sensed my anger, I think. She said that when I was older, I should contact her…so I did…and eventually I met your father, and I was slowly incorporated into a family of people dedicated to helping you in whatever way we could."

"You mean you, and my parents…"

"…and Councilor Tevos, Tela, and Sha'ira…we all swore that when the time came, we would protect you and guide you. But you were so far removed from us that you felt more like…like a myth to me than a real person. We all knew why you were dedicated so young, why you rarely went home, that you were destined for a greater purpose…we've known for years. But we dumped it on your lap like we were giving you a big fat gift instead of some seriously scary and life altering shit. The plan was to have this all figured out for you beforehand, to find out what you were supposed to do and how and then _slowly _introduce you to the idea."

"But then Benezia met Saren."

"Exactly. Benezia met Saren." Aeian sighed. "I guess my point is that we have been no better than my mother or any of the other asari present during the festival that year. We isolated you when what we should have done is let you join the party. You should have been told all of this years ago…you should have grown up knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you have been loved and supported your entire life. We should have been there for you." Aeian's voice was thick with regret. " _I _should have been there for you, ari. I knew as soon as I saw you back then you were something special."

Aeian propped herself up on her elbow to look down at her. "So yes, Liara…you, who grew up alone, despised by many, and abandoned….even by those who love you, whose entire life has been shaped by circumstances out of your reach and beyond your control, and who has been thrust into a situation bordering insanity, you…who I love as my sister… deserve my kindness; you deserve only kindness…which is why I'm doing this…"

Liara felt a light pinch on her upper arm, and a vague pressure…an injection. "No…I…"

"You need to sleep, Liara…sleep and heal…and we'll talk in the morning." Aeian's fingers gently stroked her forehead as sleep claimed her.

A/N So here we learn the origin of Aeian's involvement in Liara's life…a useful distraction for a heartsick Liara. Aeian's visit to the T'Soni estate affected her deeply, and is the primary reason she is so emphatically anti-formality…we'll see a hint of this again much later.


	17. Chapter 17 To Honor

**To Honor**

* * *

One week. Seven galactic standard days. Aeian stared at the chrono on her omni-tool in disgust, wondering when the passage of time had become so skewed. It felt like a fucking year…at least. Maybe longer…definitely longer. It had been a year-long week since things had gone sour between Liara and Noa and nothing was moving. Liara remained largely inconsolable, Noa had disappeared into her lab, and Aeian suddenly had hours of idle time on her hands. She didn't do well with free time. She needed to move, to act, to _do_…something, anything.

But no. 'The incident', as she internally referred to it, had somehow become a planet sized mass wedged between all of them and the progress they should have been making toward finding the sphere. Enough was enough already, damn it.

Rising from the sofa, she clicked her omni off and stretched. What would Aethyta do?

She hadn't heard a peep from her mentor since she'd left. Liara was worried, but as far as she was concerned, no news was good news. Aethyta wasn't the strongest matriarch she had ever known, but she was the most capable and resourceful person of any race she had ever met. Her faith in the wily matriarch was absolute. She had no doubt Aethyta had successfully taken Benezia and that it was just a simple matter of time until they heard from her.

She could call Sha'ira, who would undoubtedly come to Horizon on the first available transport if Aeian asked, but if Sha'ira was here, her ability to assist Aethyta if and when the need arose would be severely limited…as would her ready access to Tevos, who was keeping them apprised of Saren's activities as well as those of the human Spectre. No, she couldn't call Sha'ira.

Tela was with Aethyta, so she was off the table.

That left her._ Damn it. Fine. _She knew exactly what Aethyta would do…she'd kick Liara's and Noa's asses for being so sensitive and stubborn, toss them into a locked room together…probably naked…and tell them not to come out until they'd fucked like pyjacks and gotten it out of their systems.

But she wasn't Aethyta and for as tempting as the idea was, there was no way she could pull it off even though it was exactly what they both needed.

She'd talked to Liara until she'd run out of words. It was time to try a different angle of attack. Straightening her shoulders, she turned on her heel and headed for the elevator, and the lab.

As soon as she stepped off the lift, Noa's voice rose from the center of the room where she sat amid her impressive array of holo-screens and terminals.

"God damn it!" The human sat peering intently at a screen, elbows resting on her knees, narrow fingers tugging at her bottom lip. Even from across the open bay of the lab, she could see the dark circles of fatigue under her eyes. Apparently she wasn't sleeping any more than Liara.

"Bad day?" she called out midway into the room. Catching humans unaware didn't generally go over well, and Noa was emotionally injured and angry, a bad combination.

"Yeah…you could say that," Noa replied, her tone wary.

She jogged up the steps to the central platform and glanced at the screens. Every one held pictures of Liara's palm and the silvery mark at its center.

She nodded toward the nearest screen. "Are you making any progress?"

Noa leaned back in her chair, and put her hands behind her head, eyes cool. "Yes…and no. What do you want, Aeian?"

"I just came down to check on you…see how things are going…maybe kick your ass a little bit."

Noa's eyes hardened, "Go away, Aeian."

She leaned casually against a metal column that framed the raised space and crossed her ankles. "I can't do that, Noa. We've got a job to do…and we're not getting it done. You and Liara need to find some way to work together on this." She gestured toward the screens. "This thing on Liara's hand is the _only _lead we have. Her hand…your brain. The two have got to come together."

"Yeah, she already tried to get her hands on my brain if you'll recall. The results were less than satisfactory."

"Look, Noa…"

Noa jerked to her feet. "No, _you_ look, Aeian. Liara…fuck," she swiped a hand across her forehead. "Liara tried to manipulate me in a very…personal and painful way. I made an oath to her father, and damn it I will keep it…but that's my limit. Liara isn't who I thought she was…she's nothing like she seemed. Once I find this thing you're looking for, that's it. I'm done and out."

Anger rose, sharp and bright within her. Unlike Aethyta and Liara, she kept in in check…barely. "Liara isn't who you thought she was? And who is that, exactly? You might know enough about Liara to know that you want her Noa…but you barely know who _she _is."

"I wanted to damn it." Noa said, her voice hoarse with emotion. "I wanted to…but…"

"But you didn't…though that didn't stop you from messing around with her, did it? You willingly entered an intimate situation with a person you know nothing about because your randy-ass libido took the lead."

"Goddammit Aeian it wasn't like it was one sided! As soon as I saw her…Christ, as soon as we saw each other sparks started to fly!"

"Do you ever wonder why Aethtya and I are so protective of her, Noa?" She pushed away from the post and tapped the nearby picture of Liara's hand. "It's not because of _this; _it's because she is _innocent_. She's like a child experiencing the world for the first time."

Noa's eyes flashed, "She's a one hundred and six year old priestess…and T'Soni…_and_ asari."

For the first time in a long time, Aeian channeled her inner T'Goni. "Don't think for a second you understand what it means to be any of those things, _human_. You do not. You may be familiar with asari customs and art…you may have asari friends…you may have even fucked an asari or two…but you will never understand what it means to _be_ asari."

Noa deflated, sinking back onto the chair. "You're right…I'm sorry, that was…that was a shitty thing for me to say. My head isn't on straight." Noa's eyes were anguished as they locked onto hers. "Help me understand, Aeian…because for all that I have tried, I can't."

"Fine, but call Jeeves and have him bring you some food…and me a beer. You look like you haven't eaten in days."

"Fine." Noa toggled her omni and requested food and drinks though she didn't look happy about it.

She investigated Noa's workbench as she waited for the food to arrive, then waited for Jeeves to depart before sitting backwards on chair next to Noa. Noa handed her a bottled beer, a drink she had come to enjoy thanks to Markus's influence. She eyed it appreciatively as she twisted the top off. Eying Noa, she smiled. " Here's to honor." She held the bottle aloft in a toast. "Get on her and stay on her."

Despite her sunken disposition Noa cracked a smile. "Christ, where did you hear that?"

She laughed, "From Aethyta."

Noa, who had taken a bite of her sandwich, paused mid-chew, "Please tell me you're joking."

"Nope…it was definitely her."

"You admire her," Noa said, her tone matter of fact.

She took a long drink of her beer and cradled the bottle in her hands. "More than anyone…she's my mentor. She's been like a father to me, so I've always thought of Liara as my sister."

At the mention of Liara's name, Noa's eyes darkened with pain. "Go on."

"To understand Liara…you have to understand where she's come from and the circumstances that have informed her views. She's T'Soni, born to privilege, and she was dedicated very young, thrust into a spiritual order with an even stronger hierarchical system than the rest of asari society. Her cultural experience has taught her that people have very clearly delineated social ranks, and her name put her at the top of those ranks…but her blood status… having two asari parents…placed her at the bottom. Even in her own eyes."

"So you're saying what..she hates herself?"

"No…not exactly. She was born T'Soni and taught that being a from an upper house meant she was socially endowed with more value as an asari because of it, but then she was treated like a common clan member…or worse… by everyone within the upper houses except her immediate family. It was like… being given a beautiful pair of shoes, knowing she could never fill them, and then being forced to watch while others paraded around in theirs. She doubts her self-worth, Noa. She doubts her value as an asari and an individual…I don't even think she's aware of how much.

On top of that, she was dedicated very young…it was to protect her, but it doesn't change that except for major holidays or events…events at which she was made to consistently feel inferior, and thus taught to view herself as inferior…she was at Nevos…her entire life. I can't impress upon you strongly enough how…rare it is for an asari of her age to be made priestess. There are aradia twice her age, Noa. Goddess, they must have despised her."

Noa's expression was grim, "So she was forced into a position where her options for personal success were limited, and when she succeeded, ostracized herself further."

"Yes, and that is…not good. Asari are inherently social. We need contact, the support and respect of our peers, physical touch…the lifeblood of the asari is in its social cohesion. Liara never consistently had that…ever." Aeian took another drink of her beer. "And when she finally achieved something on her own merit, she _still_ didn't get it."

"I hear what you're saying, Aeian…but Liara's behavior…it makes no sense to me." Noa's eyes darkened. "I knew we were moving to fast which I why I threw on the brakes. Why would she…try to…force me into something I didn't think either of us were ready for?"

"Noa," Aeian crossed her arms over the back of the chair and leaned forward, fixing Noa with a pointed stare. "When I said Liara was _innocent_…I wasn't just talking about her limited exposure to the outside world."

"What?" Noa's brow knit with confusion for several long moments before her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "No. That's not possible…no way."

"Yes. Way," she said plainly.

Noa's eyes widened, and her mouth went lax. She looked like she'd just taken a blow to the head from a krogan. "You're serious," she finally sputtered. She set her plate aside and gripped the back of the chair against which Aeian leaned, yanking it forward until their noses nearly touched. "You're telling me…Liara…Liara T'Soni…the asari upstairs right now is a virgin? She's never…once…had sex?"

"Yep." Aeian placed her palm against Noa's forehead and pushed her back into her chair. "That is exactly what I'm saying." Noa continued to stare as if she couldn't wrap her brain around the idea. "I see you can appreciate how incredibly rare that is. Noa, most asari first begin experimenting with sex in their fourth decade. By our fifth decade we typically have one or more regular lovers, that's not counting the casual flings…our entire physiology is wired for connecting with others. We are social, sexual beings, and never more so than our maiden years. Liara is a one hundred and six year old virgin."

"Fuck me," Noa said softly.

"Make no mistake, she wants to, but that's when things got clutchy, isn't it?" She leaned forward. "Put yourself in her beautiful ill-fitting shoes, Noa. We've got a socially stunted, sexually starved asari maiden who's had to demand and fight for every scrap of recognition and success she's ever achieved…and then you come along, all long, lean, and tan with your mane of hair and your smoldering bi-color eyes… and she wants you…desperately…and you express interest in her. You flirt. You touch. You display every positive indicator known to humankind that you're as interested as she is. She doesn't see it because she's too damned naive, but she can't deny her own attraction even when she's uncertain of yours. She's feeling vulnerable and lost. You visit her in her room. The lights are dim, the rain is…raining." She waved her hand over her head, "and you invite her to touch your hair…do you have any idea how potent the pheromones from hair, even are?"

"You can smell my pheromones?" Noa said in disbelief.

"Goddess yes!" She fought the urge to roll her eyes. She adored humans, but they were remarkably dense when it came to sex. "Don't forget, Noa…asari _by design_ can reproduce with any species. Our nervous systems are hardwired to sense and react. The older and more experienced an asari is, the easier it is to ignore, but fuck…I'm getting tingly just sitting here next to you because even hearing Liara's name makes you ooze follow-me-home-and-fuck-me scent."

Noa eyed her nervously and slowly eased her chair back.

She offered Noa a wry smile, "No worries. As delectable as you smell…and goddess do you ever…it's obviously not me you're interested in and I would never trespass on another asari's chosen, especially my ari's." She finished her beer with a contented sigh. "Think about that night, Noa…Liara's got her hands wrapped in your hair… she's young, inexperienced, and hornier than a brass band at a System's Alliance ceremony. You're sending out every possible signal that screams yes…while touching her _nape_!" She gave the top of Noa's thigh a sharp smack.

"Ow!" Noa scowled and rubbed her leg. "What the hell was that for?"

"Because I've got to do something to cool you off! You are _really_ distracting right now…and because you should know the folds between crests are highly erogenous areas for asari! They're like…_exquisitely_ sensitive nipples on a human."

Noa blanched.

"Ha! I see you can relate! So there you are, doing extraordinary things to Liara's body, things she's likely never experienced before and then you say stop… but she doesn't… because her body is raging, she wants you insanely, and life has taught her over and over again that she isn't worth being given anything or anyone…the only way she can get what she wants is to take it, so that's what she tries to do." Aeian sighed. "I'm not trying to justify her actions, Noa…or hell, maybe I am. I just want to help both of you understand where things went wrong."

Noa sat quietly and stared at the floor in front of her for several long minutes. "Tell me about the ability she has…can she really control people?"

"Yes," She nodded. "She can. I've never seen anything even remotely like it. Some asari, like Sha'ira, are empathic to varying degrees, but Liara's ability is…it's unheard of. Ardat Yakshi can control their chosen victims to a limited extent, but not in the same way. Their control is always via a meld, and it's purely predatory and sexual…they simply overwhelm their victims with sexual energy. What Liara does is far more encompassing and potent…and according to her, it's as natural as breathing."

"Why didn't it work with me? She wasn't in my mind, but I could feel her…sort of…that's when things, uh…fell apart."

Aeian had given this particular point a great deal of thought, and she suspected she knew the answer. She offered Noa a sad smile, "I think that little puzzle is one you need to solve on your own."

"How is she?" Noa said quietly.

"She's not good. She's not eating or sleeping." Aeian sighed, "I'm scared for her. She thinks she's a monster and she's barely more than a kid. I know what she did was wrong and I am truly, truly sorry…for both of you. She hurt you…deeply, I know…but Noa, she hurt herself so much worse." The image of Liara's nearly flayed skin flashed in her mind. "She is consumed by guilt and honestly I don't think she's ever going to forgive herself."

"I don't know what to do, Aeian." Noa spun and stared up at the image of Liara's hand. "I…just don't know."

"Just think about what I've said, Noa…that's all I'm asking." She pushed off the chair and rose to her feet. "Earlier, when I asked if you were having any luck, you said 'yes and no'. What's the yes part…I could use some good news."

Noa raked her fingers through her hair. "I know…at least I strongly suspect, the sphere is organic. Not just from Aethyta's accounts of what happened with the first one, but also because the pattern on Liara's palm is a Fibonacci spiral."

"What is that?"

"It's a universal ratio of symmetry in organic design. It's also known as the golden spiral…the salarian's refer to it as the absolute constant, batarian's call it Vulus's wheel, asari call it…"

"Athame's eye! Yeah, I know it well. It's used all the time in engineering design. The reason I pursued design as a primary field of study was because of a nichti shell I found on the beach as a child. I still have it actually... though Markus called it something different… a nautilus, I believe." Aeian said. "The shells were everywhere that year; I'd never seen anything like it."

"So that leaves us with the question of what made the artifact. Aeian, I have cross referenced every single database and archive I can think of, and I can't find…wait, what did you say?"

"Um, I said nicthi and nautilus shells are similar?"

Noa stood and snapped her fingers, "Golden ratio…shells….organic…round...imperfect surface…could the sphere be some kind of pearl? Or egg? Something actually naturally formed by…well, whoever, but…" Noa jumped over to a terminal and began tapping feverishly on the haptic display. A series of images and reports began to scroll across the screen.

"What are you looking for?"

"I don't know of any ancient sapient aquatic species,…they are all terrestrial or avian….maybe something specific to Thessia?"

"Noa…what are you looking for?" she repeated.

Noa glanced over her shoulder and offered her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I tend to talk to myself when I work. The prophecy was asari specific, asari were once ocean dwellers, the asari home world is Thessia, Thessia is an oceanic planet, the Protheans were on Thessia, the artifact was on Thessia, and Liara's mark is a Fibonacci spiral..like a shell. Thessia and the sea are common elements.…I'm looking for anything marine that could have produced…"

"Stop!" she yelled. "Stop the screen! Go back!"

Noa quickly tapped the screen and began manually sliding back through the data. "Did you see something?"

"Just keep going." She moved closer as Noa continued scrolling through the individual files. "There, that one." Her heart began to thud ominously in her chest. "What is that?"

Noa stared up at the image of a squid shaped figure in faded hues of red and black. "No one knows…this is one of the oldest rock paintings ever recorded, and the only one of its kind ever found… but it predates the Protheans by hundreds of thousands of years, Aeian and it's on Namakli…a dry, arid planet."

"I've seen it before." Aiean's mouth was dry as she opened her omni, and pulled up the video feed. "This is video from the recent attack on Eden Prime. Tela got it for us…it's helmet cam footage from the soldiers stationed there just before they were wiped out." She played through the file, isolating the frame she wanted, and fed it through the terminal to display on the screen adjacent to the rock painting. "This is the ship that landed on Eden Prime at the beginning of the attack."

"What the hell kind of ship _is _it?" Noa studied the image closely, but there was nothing on the grainy still that provided any clues regarding its origin.

"The official word from the Council is that it's geth, but Noa, the technology to allow a ship that size to enter atmosphere doesn't exist. It's mass core would have to be the size of a frigate."

Noa's eyes narrowed, "What are the odds a rock painting that is eons old looks nearly identical to a never before seen ship and that one is identified in the search to end an ancient threat, and the other sighted trying to bring back an ancient threat?"

"There is no way this is just a coincidence," she replied. "But what does it mean?"

"It means we're going to Namakli," Noa said grimly.


	18. Chapter 18 Namakli

**A/N I just wanted to take a quick moment to say thanks for all the reviews, faves, and follows. They make me *crazy* happy and I thoroughly enjoy getting the feedback. I try to respond to everyone so if you're reviewing as a guest...please take a minute to register as a user. Otherwise, I receive your reviews, but am let with no method of responding. **

**Namakli**

* * *

Liara lay atop her sleeping bag as shadows cast by the flickering flames of the campfire danced against the wall of the tent. Outside, another round of boisterous laughter erupted from the small group lounging around it and she curled onto her side, cringing from the carefree jubilance of the sound.

If she had to describe Noa's friends in one word it would be…loud. The trio had joined them just before their departure from Horizon and had barely stopped talking long enough to breathe since. Their perpetual conversation was a combination of language, touch, and laughter that spoke of ease and long-term familiarity…the syntax of a close and trusted group of companions. The corner of her mouth tugged up as Aeian's musical laughter rose into the air to join the others. Her ari fit into the tightly knit group like a hand in a glove, of course…and she was glad for her friend. She knew that she had been poor company lately.

"Ari!" Aeian called, "Come out and join us!"

She reached for her nearby tunic, pulled it over her face, and summarily ignored her. Alone at last, she was unwilling to relinquish her privacy. The trip from Horizon had been long, and trying. Because Noa had given Aethyta the use of her frigate, they had traveled to Namakli aboard a smaller science vessel and it had been nearly impossible to hide from her. To make matters worse, when they did encounter one another, Noa had been distant and cool but…not unkind. It wasn't what she expected and made her wary. She was prepared to navigate the bare, burning plain of Noa's anger…less so the shifting sands of her composure. Once, she had thought herself alone, had let down her guard…and had turned to find Noa watching her, eyes as dark as portholes, soft lips lightly parted as if unspoken words lingered there. Goddess help her she had wanted Noa to scream and rail at her, to see those lips twisted in loathing and hatred so she would stop imagining them against her skin. Noa hadn't, though…and she couldn't understand why.

They had finally arrived at Namakli that afternoon, too late to begin any work, but rather than spend another night aboard the cramped ship, they'd set up a hasty outdoor camp for the evening. They would begin the process of examining the rock paintings and the surrounding cliffs the following day. She absently rubbed her palm. She didn't know what the correlation was between the mark in her skin and the paintings…neither Noa nor Aeian had elaborated, but Noa felt it worth investigating and anything was better than remaining still.

"Liara!" Aeian called again.

"Maybe she's sleeping, Aeian. I don't think she rested well en route…not surprising with this lot." Sam Traynor's accent was the same as Jeeves's…fitting since she'd designed the VI. Sam had joined them at the port on Horizon along with a tall turian and a heavily muscled human male.

"Descansas bien, Freckles!" Vega yelled. As she cringed at the nickname there was loud popping sound. "Ow! What did you smack me for?"

"Because she's not likely to rest at all if you scream at her, much less well," Sam retorted, though Liara could tell by the sound of her voice she was smiling.

"You know, Sam," Garrus's flanged voice said. "The ability to tune out distractions and sleep is a good skill to have. There was this one time I…."

"Wait, wait, wait," Vega interrupted. "Let me guess… you fell asleep over your rifle and when you woke you'd _still _managed to single-handedly take out nineteen Blue Suns…and an ATLAS mech!"

"No, no," Sam laughed. "You fell asleep while calibrating a weapon, and when you woke telemetry scans _still_ indicated it was four point nine percent more accurate!"

Laughter rolled across the camp.

"Ignore them, Aeian," Garrus said dryly. "These two woefully underestimate my ability to nap productively in challenging conditions."

"Well damn, this I've gotta hear," Aeian said. "What _did_ you sleep through?"

"Sam's snoring?" Noa's voice, smiling and warm, carried from the opposite side of the camp. Hearing it an ache seeped through her chest and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

"I do not snore!"

"Yes Sam…you do," Noa argued. It fleetingly occurred to her the only way Noa would know Sam snored was if she had slept near her. A hot spike of unexpected jealousy stabbed her, followed swiftly by an aching loss and sadness. It was none of her concern. It would never be her concern. "Hey…where is Liara?"

Her eyes flew open in surprise at the note of concern in Noa's voice.

"She's resting in the tent," Aeian replied, "but I don't think she's asleep."

"Would you, uh…would you ask her to come out, please? We need to plan for tomorrow."

"I'll get her, Shep," Sam said.

The shadows on the tent shifted as Liara hastily wedged her arms back into her tunic. The temperature was stifling, but her healing skin still bore ample evidence of the damage she had done to it…she looked as if she'd tumbled down a gravel strewn mountain naked…and she didn't want the others to see.

The tent flap pulled back and a dark tressed head, accompanied by the wafting scent of smoke and another she couldn't identify, peered at her through the tent door "Liara? I'm sorry to bother you but Noa wants to meet by the fire."

"Yes…I will be right there."

Sam's dark eyes smiled up at her, "Good." Sam withdrew and a few moments later she crawled out of the tent. Standing upright and tugging at the hem of her tunic, she slowly approached the fire. Of their own accord her eyes sought out Noa, her cheeks were flushed from the heat and her shirt clung to her skin. Her awareness of the woman was a curse she continued to battle but goddess help her… she could feel her on the other side of the flames, burning brighter than the fire.

"Hey Freckles," Vega said, smiling up at her from a blanket covered stone. His smile fell as his eyes wandered over her. "Madre de Dios, how can you stand to wear that? Aren't you roasting?" He fanned his face with a giant hand. Even with the sun below the horizon, Namakli's surface was hot, the sun-baked rocks surrounding the camp radiating heat like an oven.

Caught off guard by his directness, she took a shaky breath, panicked eyes seeking out Aeian who gazed at her in silent, sad understanding. Everyone except the turian wore sleeveless shirts…Aeian's own was little more than a bra.

"Ow!" James said. He rubbed his upper arm and glared at Sam. "Now what did I do?"

"Stop trying to get the asari to disrobe, James," Sam spoke to James, but her eyes watched Liara, offering a quick wink when she looked her way. She studied the small woman briefly before deciding it must have been caused by the smoke though the move had seemed deliberate.

"Hah!" Vega said to Sam. "You try to get more females out of their clothes than I do, Traynor."

"You're jealous because I succeed more often than you do as well." Sam quipped.

"Come sit beside me, ari," Aeian patted the blanket on which she sat and she circled the fire and sank gratefully to the ground next to her.

Noa's voice cut through Sam and Vega's friendly banter. "Can it you two…we're not here to discuss wardrobe choices." Though she eyed the long sleeved tunic curiously as she glanced in her direction.

They had set up camp on an excavated shelf in the lee of the canyon wall. Stark, crumbling red cliffs surrounded the broken floor of the valley far below, and stretched for miles into the distance. The site they currently occupied was a very small niche in a series of broad earthen ramps dug by early settlement teams when there had been interest in developing an industrial colony here.

"Alright…the rock paintings we're here to investigate are two clicks southwest of here near the canyon floor. We'll head out early in the morning and do a preliminary walk through of the abandoned mining site before setting up a grid. We're coming at this a bit raw, so we'll work from the known to the unknown. Sam, you'll be paired with Vega. I want cal-pal scans of the cliff face and the rock paintings; let's see if we can get a clearer idea of exactly when these things were created. Garrus, you and Aeian will be handling security. There are feral vorcha here and they travel in large packs, so we'll need to keep a good look out. Liara, you'll be with me…"

Liara's eyes snapped up, but Noa gave no indication anything was amiss as she continued to detail the rest of the team. Had she heard that right? She was not a scientist and had little to contribute to the effort of actually studying their surroundings. She had a knack for organizing and analyzing data, and had hoped to make herself useful by assisting Sam in her efforts.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, torn by her warring emotions. Guilt was her constant companion and it wasn't limited to remorse for her actions. She felt guilty because despite everything… she missed Noa's company, her ready smile and her laughter. She had no right to feel pleased about the prospect of spending time with her, or excited to see her at work… but she did…and her anticipation only increased her burden.

"Does anyone have any questions?" Noa asked.

Her cheeks heated as she realized Noa had finished speaking and she had no idea what they would be doing tomorrow. After Noa's calm announcement that they would be working together, she hadn't heard a single thing she had said. There was a general murmur as everyone else said no.

"Liara?" Noa's eyes were luminous as they captured the light of the fire.

"Yes?"

"Do you have any questions?" Was it her imagination, or was there a spark of humor in her eyes?

"No, Noa…I do not."

Noa nodded and turned her attention to Garrus who had moved to her side and tapped her arm. They walked a short distance away, heads bent in quiet discussion.

"So Liara," Sam said. "Tell us a little about you. Aeian talks her head off like the rest of us but you've not said much since…well, ever." Sam smiled and looked at her through warm expectant eyes.

She didn't feel like talking to anyone, much less a stranger that Noa somehow mysteriously knew snored, but Garrus, James, and Sam were here because of her. Aeian had been reluctant to discuss the nature of the mission with anyone she did not personally know. Her preference had been to travel to Namakli with another squad of asari she and Aethyta had worked with in the past but Noa had insisted that if she was organizing the venture she needed her own people along and she had personally vouched for their integrity and discretion. Surely, if Noa trusted them, they were good people, and they had come all this way on a moments notice to be of assistance for her sake. The least she could do was be polite.

"Unfortunately there is not a great deal to tell, Sam. I am not a very interesting person, nor have I led a particularly interesting life."

"I dunno, Freckles." Vega said, stirring the fire with a gnarled scrub branch. "You're part of an ancient prophecy. That seems pretty interesting to me."

"Interesting is…not precisely the word I would use to describe it, James," she replied. "Generally speaking, when I think about it at length, the recurrent quality I encounter is terror. I am ashamed to admit it is a frightful thing to me, and a prospect I do not fully understand."

"Well let's not focus on the scary bits." Sam drew her knees up and hugged them to her chest. "Noa tells us your a priestess… what's that like? What does a Priestess of Athame actually _do_?"

"To be chosen as a priestess is a great honor among my people. Asari maidens who express an interest in religious studies enter a conclave as dedicated. It is during the initial years of study and training that dedicated decide if they want to leave the conclave or remain to pursue ongoing study. Those who wish to carry on are made acolytes to the temple's High Priestess, who guides their training from that point forward."

"What sorts of things do you learn about…is it all specifically religious study?"

"As dedicated, yes it is. To be accepted as an acolyte, a dedicated asari must be able to recite the three primary codices of Athame's doctrine without error…it is quite challenging."

"To put it in perspective, Sam it is like memorizing three complete bibles." Aeian added.

Sam started. "Wow…I don't imagine there are that many acolytes, then."

Liara smiled. "No, there are not. The percentage of dedicated who become acolytes is small. However once chosen as an acolyte, training is split into three paths…one each for Athame, Janiri, and Lucen. Those who choose the path of Janiri, for instance, study agriculture in addition to expanded doctrine."

"Which path did you choose, Freckles?"

Liara self consciously rubbed her palms against her legs as Noa returned to the fire and lowered herself to the ground next to Sam. "As Rede, I completed them all, but for myself I chose the path of Athame. Athame is credited with gifting the asari with mathematics and medicine, as well as biotics."

"You like maths?" Noa's voice held a note of surprise.

"Yes, I…I find mathematics…comforting and beautiful. It is…rational." Unable to look directly at Noa for long, she turned her attention back to Sam. "After acolyte, the next step is aradia. This is the rank at which most asari spend the majority of their years before being elevated to priestess. Aradia pursue professional careers that correspond with their chosen path so that they might better contribute to the communities in which they will live and work as priestesses."

"And you said you weren't interesting! This is really fascinating, Liara." Sam said. "Your mother, Matriarch Benezia, is a priestess…and she has followers, right?…do you?"

"Oh…no. No I do not, nor do I ever foresee that I would!" She thought of the potential disaster inherent in her gift and paled. The last thing she needed was a group of followers to direct. "I am..was.. Rede…an adviser to the High Priestess in matters regarding the education and training of the dedicated and acolytes. My role was limited to the conclave, whereas Benezia is involved in the galactic community at large. Her followers study at her side in the hope of becoming priestesses themselves who will then return to their own communities in the same capacity. The Rede is assigned only by the High Priestess of a given temple…it does not fall to me to train a successor."

"You said you _were _Rede," Sam's brow knit. "But you're not anymore?"

"No…no." She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. "I have not formally recused myself, but when…but I plan to."

"Will you still be a priestess, Liara?" Noa's voice was soft, her eyes dark.

"Yes…and no," Liara said sadly. "Once an asari becomes a priestess the title is hers to carry, but unless actively functioning as part of a conclave, that is all it will be…a title, not a formal recognition of status. There will be no honor in it."

Aeian leaned gently against her, and Liara relaxed into her side, welcoming the comforting contact. Across the fire, Noa watched them, her expression unreadable.

"I bet the biotic training for the conclave must have been intense, huh?" James said. "Wasn't Athame some kind of biotic badass?"

The corner of Liara's mouth tugged up. Though they had been arduous, her years of biotic training had been some of her favorite. Even though she hadn't trained her biotics in their intended applications, she had learned all the techniques she could, practicing for hours to master singularities and warps, stasis fields, shields, and more.

Personal philosophy regarding biotic abilities was divergent among asari. Many perceived biotic ability as such a common element in daily life as to be of little consequence. Others, such as asari who became commandos or huntresses, used their biotics often and with single minded purpose. She had always perceived biotics as Athame's doctrine indicated…a gift to be treasured.

"Yes, the training is very…intense, as you say…it is equivalent to the training a commando receives. Indeed, many acolytes and aradia who follow Athame's path eventually leave the conclave to become commandos."

"Don't get me wrong; I appreciate biotics, but still…nothing compares to pure strength and physical conditioning." James flexed an enormous bicep muscle and grinned. "That's where it's at right there!"

Beside her, Aeian answered Vega's grin with one of her own. "I admit, your well developed musculature is…impressive," Aeian practically purred. "But I wouldn't underestimate her if I was you, Vega. Liara might not look it, but she's pretty strong herself."

James eyed Liara doubtfully. "Is that so, Freckles?"

"Truly, I have never considered human physical strength compared to biotic strength; they are simply too different to make a reasonable or fair comparison. Biotic strength is clearly superior."

Noa pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and her eyes shone with amusement as James, clearly not believing her, stared. "Whaaat?"

"Non-biotics must contend with limits biotics do not face. For instance, I would lift a heavy object by reducing its mass whereas you must contend with the full mass…and gravity… of the object to be lifted. It is not effortless by any means, but still…biotics are more effective and efficient than physical strength alone."

James grinned. "That almost sounds like a challenge, Freckles."

"What? No…I did not intend…."

"What sort of challenge did you have in mind, Vega?" Aeian countered. "I've seen my ari in action…she's not to be trifled with." Liara looked askance at Aeian and Vega, certain the heat must be affecting their cognition as they continued to banter and flirt.

"Have you ever tested your limits, Liara?" Sam said. "What is the heaviest object you've ever lifted?"

"I…I am not certain; I have never actually measured to see." She looked around the camp for an object to provide a point of reference, but found nothing suitable at the barren site. Her eyes landed on James. "I do not see anything of similar size to things I have lifted in the past." She nodded toward Vega. "But I could easily lift James."

James paused his side conversation with Aeian. "You don't have the cojones."

Her brow knit as she tried to deduce exactly what he meant. Jamed tended to randomly interject Spanish words into the conversation and her translator didn't always catch them. "Excuse me?"

Vega laughed, "I said: you don't have the cojones to try, Freckles."

His meaning suddenly registered, and she found herself decidedly at odds. She did not want to offend him, nor did she want to remain silent and prove him right. She doubted many things about herself, but amid the whirlwind chaos of everything that had happened, a true constant was her biotic strength. It was hers, it was purely good, and it could not be taken away. Help came from an unexpected source.

"Go for it, Liara," Noa said. "Just don't hurt him." Smiling, Noa slapped a hand against Vega's shoulder. "I'll need these big muscles to do some lifting tomorrow." She gave his arm a playful shove. "Get over there big guy."

James looked markedly less confident as he stepped around the fire. As he drew near, she pushed herself up from the ground and turned to face him. "You are correct, James. I do not have…_cojones. _But you will find in this regard, I am not lacking temerity."

"Temerity?" James frowned. "I don't know what that means but…"

With a casual flick of her wrist, she wrapped him in a mass field and hoisted him until his boot heels were half a dozen feet from the ground.

"What the…shit, shit, shit…"

Aeian, Noa, and Sam laughed as James, engulfed by a glowing purple and blue nimbus, twisted in the air.

"You doing okay James?" Noa said. "You look a little worried."

"Oh, who cares if he's scared!" Sam said. "Serves him right. More importantly, what does it _feel_ like? And when do I get a turn?"

"Whoa…it feels kinda…tingly all over." He looked down at her, eyes stretched wide. "You're not gonna drop me, right Freckles?"

"No James, I will not drop you. Like this you are relatively light." She oscillated the field, moving her hand up and down and as if testing his weight. Correspondingly, he bobbed up and down in the air with her movements.

"Dios, don't shake me!" James yelped, inciting another round of laughter.

Aeian crossed her arms over her chest and smirked," Are you now willing to admit the superiority of biotics, Mr. Vega?"

"Yes!" James nodded fervently. "Yes, biotics are better! Liara, you are a…a biotic goddess!…Will you please put me down now?"

"Wait!" Sam toggled her omni. "We have to have a photo, or he will deny it ever happened." She snapped the picture and smiled at Liara, "Okay… _now_ you can put him down."

She shifted the field, slowly altering its effect until Vega's booted feet were just over the ground before releasing him. He landed with a soft thud, and looked down at his legs as if to ensure he would remain landlocked. Grinning, he clapped Liara on the upper arm with a beefy hand. "You're alright, Freckles."

She winced as the playful contact chafed a particularly tender part of her skin through her shirtsleeve.

"Damn James! Take it easy," Noa circled the fire to stand next to her. "You may not be a biotic, but you're still a muscular brute." Noa eyed her with concern. "Are you okay Liara?"

She looked everywhere except for Noa's eyes. "It is nothing, Noa…some lingering soreness from working out with Aeian." Noa glanced up at Aeian, an unspoken question on her face. From the corner of her eye she saw Aeian give an almost imperceptible shake of her head and Noa glanced back at her once, before turning away.

"Alright gang…it's getting late." She looked in the direction of the ship. "I'm going to go check in with Garrus….he's getting the mechs set. Sam, get some drones in the air…we'll link them to the mechs. James, you can put your muscles to use. Make sure the gear is stowed and put out the fire."

"Is there anything you need me to do, Noa?" Aeian asked.

"Why don't you help James…I'm sure he'd love to flex for you a little bit."

Aeian's lips curled in a decidedly predatory smile as she eyed James appreciatively. "And I'm sure I'd love for him to." She made a bee line for James and slid her arm into his.

"Is there anything you require of me, Noa?" she asked timidly, still unable to meet Noa's gaze.

"No…just get some sleep…and make sure you drink plenty of water. We've got an early start tomorrow and the heat is going to be intense."

A/N... I loved the Citadel DLC, so I had to recreate a snippet of it here. Don't hate me.


	19. Chapter 19 Rock Paintings

**Rock Paintings**

* * *

Liara walked down the ramp leading from the side of the ship and onto a broad semi-circular landing pad, vacant except for their small vessel and a few rusty crates. Drifting forward, she neared the edge to get a better view of their surroundings. The site from which they would be working was an abandoned rough-in for a mining works. It consisted of several tiered rows of rectangular prefabricated pods interconnected by a series of scaffold style walkways and was flanked on each end by a landing pad. The entire structure was supported by a network of supports and buttresses anchored deeply into the cliff face.

"Damn, we should have slept up here last night," Sam walked up beside her, arms full to overflowing with data pads, and she wore an appreciative smile as she gazed into the distance. "The view is spectacular, isn't it?…I mean, there's not a lot to look at…it's pretty barren, but still."

Liara watched Sam from the corner of her eye. Since they'd met, she'd been unable to figure the human out. She was friendly enough, but she seemed to enjoy sneaking up on her whenever the opportunity presented itself.

"Yes, the view is quite remarkable," she agreed, leaning against the railing to peer down at the valley floor far below.

"Oh God! Be careful!" Sam said.

Liara straightened and turned, puzzled by her reaction. "I do not fear heights. The temple in which I lived was at the foot of a cliff similar in height to this and I climbed it often…though it was not as bare, or steep."

"Well you won't catch me climbing any cliffs, thank you very much….but if you like outdoor activities, maybe we can get in a hike or something…through a valley, of course… when we're back on …"

"Hey ari," Aeian strode over to where they stood, eying Sam as she slid her hand into Liara's. "Sorry to interrupt, Sam…I need to borrow Liara from you." To Liara, Aeian sounded more amused than apologetic.

"Oh…yes, of course," Sam said, her voice noticeably cooler than it had been just moments before. Liara had the sense she was missing something important, but as her eyes bounced between the two of them she couldn't decide what it was. "We'll talk later, Liara." Sam waved awkwardly as Aeian began to pull her away.

At the center of the platform, James and Noa worked side by side off-loading a bevy of containers as Garrus lowered them from the ship's belly. The sun had barely breached the horizon and the site was still in shade but it was already dismally hot, and both of them shone with sweat. She found herself unable to stop staring at the lean muscles of Noa's shoulders bunching and stretching as she reached over her head to lower the next metal container. Her steps slowed to allow her eyes to linger, inadvertently pulling Aeian to a near stop. At the unexpected tug, Aeian turned and followed the direction of her gaze.

"Oh, come on, ari," Aeian rolled her eyes and pulled her onward. "You can stare at Noa later…after you've got a weapon."

She yanked her eyes away and turned to Aeian. "I was not staring," she lied. " And why do I need a gun?"

"Vorcha," Aeian said, her tone matter of fact. "This planet is crawling with them…you might be a biotic goddess, ari but vorcha travel in packs. Big, nasty, packs." Aeian shuddered.

Keeping Liara in tow, she continued to the far side of the pad, releasing Liara's hand when they reached a battered container stamped with a bold SS. Aeian tossed the lid back, revealing a selection of neatly packaged handguns. Her expression was one of child-like glee as she looked into the crate."Take your pick."

Liara was considering her options when the light cadence of boots against the deck announced Noa's arrival. "If you two are set, we're nearly ready."

Noa stood so close she could smell the salt tang of sweat layered over her usual unique scent, and her mouth began to water.

"Sure thing…I'm just getting Liara sorted," Aeian replied.

Noa frowned, "I know everyone else is armed, but they've all been trained, Aeian."

"I am proficient with weapons, Noa." In truth, she found them fascinating. It was violence she shied away from, but she had completed the requisite hours of weapons training with Shiala.

"Really?" The thinly veiled disbelief in Noa's voice grated her nerves.

Everyone in their group possessed skills and experiences she lacked and she didn't want the things she _could _contribute second guessed. Between the heat, Sam's inexplicable stalking, and her traitorous pulse reminding her that even covered with dust and sweat, Noa smelled amazing, she was feeling rather…testy. She reached into the crate and pulled out the nearest heavy pistol. Thumbing the locking mechanism, she dropped the thermal clip from its grip and hefted its weight before turning to Noa.

"This is a civilian variant of the Systems Alliance M-5 phalanx semi-automatic pistol. It has a firing rate of eighty rounds per minute, a six round clip, an integrated laser sighting system, and with its current high caliber barrel does twenty percent more damage on comparable targets than its unmodified counterpart still in the crate." She slid the thermal clip into place, driving it home with the heel of her hand where it latched with a satisfying click. "I will take this one, Aeian…but I do not have a clip to carry it."

Aeian's smile was so wide it caused the white markings on her cheeks to curve. "There she is."

Liara's brow knit, "Who?"

"Liara-fucking-T'Soni, that's who!" Aeian said, her voice ripe with satisfaction.

She arched a brow at Noa. "Are you satisfied I will not…what is it humans say…shoot myself in the foot?"

Noa nodded mutely and hitched a thumb over her shoulder. "Meet me by the…uh, by the…over there…"

Aeian rolled her eyes, "We'll find you in a few minutes, Noa."

As Noa retreated, Aeian pulled a thigh holster from the container and fastened it around Liara's hips, frowning when she flinched. "Have you not been using the medi-gel, ari?"

Liara flushed with guilt, wincing again when Aeian cinched the thigh strap. "I am healing, ari…leave me be." She slid the pistol home, adjusting its position until the weight felt as comfortable as it could against her sore skin. Her words had come out harsher than she'd intended. "Apologies, Aeian…I am flustered by the heat and…"

"And Noa…It's okay, ari. I understand." Aeian tucked two packets of medi-gel into the side pocket of her pants. "Just in case you change your mind," she added.

"Why did you say 'there she is', as if I have been gone somewhere?"

Aeian sighed softly. "Because you have, Liara. It's like you've been a ghost." Aeian grabbed her hand and gripped it tightly. "When we first met, you were like a flame…burning with anger, but radiant. You were damn uppity as shit, but you were _you_. I know you're still trying to figure things out…who you are, what your future holds, and where you fit in… _yo ceuis tes, Liara T'Soni_…I see you…and I feel your heart as if it were my own. Do not doubt yourself. Remember who you are and know you are the same good person you have always been. The world around you has changed, but you are exactly who you are supposed to be. Things _will _work out."

Pulling her close, she softly touched her lips to Aeian's and leaned in until their foreheads rested together. She stood silently, breathing in Aeian's warm breath as she exhaled, trying to pull in the spirit of her words, to believe them as much as Aeian seemed to. "You are a good friend, ari. Better than I…"

"Don't even think it," Aeian chided softly. "You deserve only the best…lucky for you, that's me."

Liara smiled and took Aeian's other hand, cupping them gently between her own. "I do not know what I would do without you. You are a credit to your house, and our people, and I look forward to the day we are matriarchs together under Thessia's sun."

"Hell yeah," Aeian laughed softly before her tone became serious. "Trust yourself, Liara…whatever this trip brings, or our futures hold…promise me."

Could she? She didn't know…_I've made so many mistakes, Aeian…I've hurt Noa, shamed myself…_"I promise to try, ari."

* * *

Liara and Noa clambered through the prefabs, slowly making their way over and around abandoned equipment and debris to the lowest level of the cliff-side structure. Because of the heat she had foregone her usual tunic for a flowing, long-sleeved, white shirt, but it hung limp in the still air and clung to her skin uncomfortably. Striding confidently ahead of her in her typical fitted tank and tan field pants, Noa appeared immune to the heat. Other than ensuring her pack had extra water, she hadn't spoken a single word to her since they'd separated from the others.

Liara paused to look over her shoulder, her gaze climbing up and back to the landing platform now high over-head. Though she could not see them, she knew Sam and James were working their way across the cliff from the highest level of the pre-fabs. The scans were conducted primarily by Sam's collection of drones who gathered data and fed it back to Sam's portable terminal for compilation and analysis. The drones were collecting energy readings and ultrasonic depth studies while Sam and James collected physical samples of anything of note.

Aeian and Garrus monitored a mobile security grid the turian had devised and patrolled the rim of the canyon. Garrus had indicated there was a large pack of vorcha nearby, though it was unclear if they had detected their presence. The turian intrigued her. He had a unique brand of dry self-mockery that she rather enjoyed, and surprisingly, seemed closer to Noa than the other humans. Noa had no qualms about taking charge of their odd team, but she deferred to Garrus without question if he raised a concern and they had often had their heads together in quiet conversation during the trip there.

Noa's voice pulled her away from her thoughts. "Watch yourself; this is the last ladder and there's a bit of a drop at the bottom." Noa pivoted and backed down the ladder, quickly sinking below the floor of the prefab, her boots making a slight buzzing noise as she ignored the rungs altogether and slid to the ground. She hadn't quite figured out how Noa did it, and had to settle for slowly descending one rung at a time while Noa waited for her below.

Her boots kicked up small puffs of red, sandy dust as she jumped down from the last rung. The rest of the way down they'd walk along a narrow switchback cut into the dirt. Fortunately, they were far enough down now that the terrain angled out from the cliff becoming more of a steep mountainous slope than a sheer vertical rock face.

"You should drink some water, Liara," Noa's clipped tone indicated it was an order, not a suggestion, but she was more than happy to comply. She pulled a pouch from her bag and drank deeply, studying Noa's profile from the corner of her eye as she stared out over the valley. Goddess…she couldn't bear her silence.

"How did you meet Garrus?" She asked the first question that came to mind, unsure if Noa would even answer.

Noa turned, brows lightly lifted as if surprised by the question. "We met a long time ago on the Citadel. He worked for C-Sec at the time. I was involved in an…incident. I was younger, just starting out and a buyer decided it would be cheaper to kill me and take the artifact I'd brought than it would be to pay. Garrus got me out of a pretty tight spot, and we've been friends since. We just sort of…clicked…kind of like you and Aeian."

"And he always manages security when you're on digs?"

"Yeah, pretty much…either directly or indirectly." Noa said. "Garrus is a good guy, driven to do good things, and I trust him completely. He's the only other person who has unrestricted access to my place on Horizon." She nodded in the direction of the trail, "We should keep moving."

Liara tucked the pouch away and they set off down the narrow trail. Her eyes were drawn to the pistol strapped to Noa's thigh…a carnifex, she noted. "Where did you learn to handle weapons?"

Noa glanced back over her shoulder and grinned. "Garrus taught me…after the altercation on the Citadel, he kind of took me under his wing. Remember the security firm I said I worked for?"

Liara thought back to the dinner conversation their first night on Horizon. "Yes."

"I actually own it…well, half of it anyway. Garrus was kind of fed up with C-Sec, and I needed to learn how to defend myself…or hire guards until I could. The firm sort of sprang up organically from there. Garrus and I share ownership, but it's really his baby…Shakarian Security.

"Shakarian?" She blinked, "Oh, as in Shepard and Vakarian." The boldly stamped SS on the many of the containers they had offloaded now made sense. She thought for a minute. "Shak-Sec?"

Noa's laughter did more to quench her thirst than the water had. "Shak-Sec…Garrus will get a kick out of that."

They walked for another ten minutes in comfortable silence before Noa spoke again. "We're almost there…it should be right around this next curve."

She nodded, making a futile attempt to scratch a tingling itch between her shoulder blades. Several large boulders barred the path, and they scrambled over them. Noa lithely shimmied up the side of the tallest, and dropped over its edge to the path below. She followed, not as gracefully, hopping down from one jutting surface to the next. At the bottom of a steep final drop, Noa waited for her. She held up her hand, "Here…let me help you."

She looked from Noa's hand to her face and then back again, suddenly very afraid. She hadn't touched Noa…hadn't even come close to touching her since…since…

"It's okay, Liara," Noa said softly. "Let me help you."

She took the offered hand, instantly aware of the contrasting textures of Noa's skin as she guided her down the last drop. Her momentum carried her forward and Noa's other hand went automatically to her waist to stop her from falling. Noa's hand print seared into her skin through her shirt as she drew to an abrupt halt inches away from her. The heat radiating from her was warmer than the surrounding landscape and her scent suffused the air. _Goddess Liara…stop. _She withdrew her hand from Noa's and stepped back, breathless and shaken. "Thank you."

Noa nodded her gaze thoughtful as she studied her, "No problem…come on."

The path flattened and grew gradually wider permitting them to walk side by side under the shade of an overhanging section of the wall. The tingling itch between Liara's shoulders grew, but she forgot it entirely when they turned the curve. They had reached their destination. The creature on the rock painting was enormous; it dominated the wall in shades of charcoal and red.

Beside her, Noa tapped her omni. "Sam…we're here. The painting appears to be intact; you wouldn't believe the size of this thing."

"_I can't wait to get down there and see it for myself." _Sam's voice was thick with sarcasm. "_Noa, according to the drone data, there are caves…"_

"Are you sure they aren't just picking up mine shafts or bore holes…there wouldn't be a lot of them; the mining company abandoned the location before any substantial work could be done."

"_No, they're definitely caves, but they're blocked by eroded debris…the irregularity of their shape is consistent with sea cave formation." _

"See if you can get a good depth scan. It will be worth seeing if we can find an inlet…or make one. I'll forward any scans I do here right away."

"_Sounds good. Be careful."_

As Noa and Sam conversed, Liara wandered closer, staring up at the giant mural. "It looks like a..a.." Something about the image seemed familiar, but the word kept slipping from the tip of her tongue.

"It looks like a big damn squid," Noa said.

"No…it's something else…" _Why can't I place it? _

"It was revered." Noa pointed to the long line of bipedal shapes below it.

"Or feared," Liara said. "Do you see the streaks coming down from it, and the natives standing under it with their spears raised over their heads…as if trying to block it?"

"Yeah…yeah, I do. That wasn't clear in the data I've reviewed." Noa said. "But look, over here we've got someone standing like they are…"

"Noa…I feel something." The itch had turned into a deep tingling that radiated up the length of her spine and settled at her nape.

"What is it?"

Liara continued forward and placed her hands against the rock, and the painting. "I do not know it is…it is…." She slid her hands along the wall, continuing down along the path. Her steps quickened as if she was being pushed, or pulled. She was not certain which, only that there was something…something she could almost hear in the back of her mind.

"Liara wait!" Noa called. "Where are you going?

There were more paintings. Long rows of natives marching toward the creature, always looking up. She rounded a fallen boulder fragment, hands and eyes searching, head tilted to the side listening. She could hear it now, a whisper like breaking waves when heard from a distance. There…a crevice between the rocks.

Warm fingers closed around her wrist before she could shimmy through the narrow space. "Liara, wait!" Noa pulled, hard, tugging her from the crevice and away from the wall to the relative safety of the path. "What is happening?"

"There is something here, Noa. I can feel it…like something buzzing under my skin."

Noa lifted Liara's hand and forced her clenched fingers open. The mark was there, this time clearly evident. A perfectly shaped golden spiral, shimmering like silver in Liara's skin. "Uh…okay…well I certainly didn't expect _this._" She looked over Liara's shoulder to the narrow crevice hidden between two large rocks. "And you think it's in there?" Noa freed her and opened her omni to scan the surrounding rock face. "There's space behind there alright. I'm not picking up any kind of energy readings but the rocks are too hot for me to get an accurate thermal…"

Liara pushed past her, single-minded in her intent to enter the crevice. She needed….she needed to find it, to hear…whatever it was saying. She could almost make it out but her inability to understand it was maddening.

"Liara wait!" Noa grabbed her hand….

She felt a lurching sensation and something bright and warm tumbled inside her and grew…. beautiful and breathtaking …

Shock vied with wonder as Noa's consciousness collided with hers. _Liara what is this?_

_Goddess_…_no! _The sudden intrusion stripped her bare. _What have I done! _Fear flooded her, and shame…bitter guilt and black regret. Bile burned her throat and she recoiled from the emotions flooding her even as she tried to hide them from Noa. Gritting her teeth, she wrenched her hand free of Noa's grasp. The meld ended as abruptly and gracelessly as it had begun, leaving her cold and unsteady, like a part of her had been torn away.

Noa stared down at her hand as if it was a foreign object. "Liara…Liara…look at me." She lifted her eyes to meet Noa's. "Fuck…Liara, we've got to get you out of here…your eyes are nearly solid black."

"What? No…no they can't be," she said, alarmed. The whispering sound continued to gnaw at her mind, and her mind opened in search of its source, trying to bring it in.

Noa's face was etched with worry. She stepped closer, but didn't touch her again. "Focus Liara…damn it… I can't touch you right now…please."

_Goddess…what is happening… _Pressing her hands against her eyes, she used one of the meditation techniques Sha'ira had taught her. She focused on a fixed point, the sound of her heart racing wildly inside her chest, until the rushing sound filled her hearing and the tingling sensation abated. She dropped her hands and studied the ground, reluctant to look up at Noa.

"Liara…hey," Gentle fingers lifted her chin, forcing her eyes upward. Noa smiled softly, "Back to blue."

She blinked rapidly but lost the battle to fight back her tears. "Goddess Noa I am so sorry…I did not mean…" She buried her face in her hands.

Strong, warm arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. Noa's breath hitched jaggedly against her cheek. "Hey…it's okay."

Liara's skin ached where Noa's arms grasped her but she didn't care. She buried her face against Noa's shoulder. "I am so sorry, Noa. I can't seem to stop…hurting you. First it was my stupid ability, and now…Noa, what I just did was criminal…"

Noa leaned back to look into her eyes. "Liara, whatever just happened…and I'm going to assume it was a meld…you didn't hurt me. I could feel you and you felt…Damn it, I could feel you. You didn't do anything wrong. It was an accident caused by circumstances you had no way to anticipate or control." She paused as if weighing her words. "Pretty much like exactly what happened the night of the storm."

She was suddenly very aware of how closely Noa held her. How their bodies were aligned stomach to stomach and hip to hip. Heat ruptured low in her belly and spilled through her. She pushed away from Noa and staggered back, her breathing uneven.

"No. I cannot pretend I am not to blame, Noa, nor can I undo my mistakes….though goddess, I wish I could." She swiped at her eyes in frustration but they continued to leak tears. "I could tell you how very sorry I am but words alone are… too flimsy and thin." A bitter laugh spilled from her lips. "Aeian told me to trust myself and I said I would try, but how can I? How can I when I cannot stop…violating you? When I cannot stop making mistakes?" The whispering was growing again, incessant as a tide.

"Liara, you didn't…" Noa raked a hand through her hair and watched her sadly. "Look, we can…uh, we will talk about this later. For now, we should get you out of here."

She took a deep breath, letting the heat from the air settle into her lungs before exhaling slowly. "No."

Noa's brows rose. "No? Liara we're dealing with something we don't understand here. I won't risk you…"

"Noa, I _need_ to do this," she said, cutting her off. "I need to do something right for once." She hated the imploring sound of her voice. She was not weak, could not _be_ weak. She took a deep breath, "You are right; we do not understand what is happening…or why, but I have dealt with things I did not understand my entire life; this is no different. I have a choice. To flee, to bide my time in the slim hope that understanding will be granted from some other source, or to stay and face what must be done." She opened her hand between them, displaying the silvery mark on her palm. "This is bigger than I am. Saren is out there, and my mother, and too much hinges on my decisions and actions to run, and wait, and hope."

Noa regarded her silently. "Okay…if you're sure."

Bitter laughter spilled through her lips. "I have never been more _un_sure of anything…but I must do it regardless."

* * *

The crevice was so narrow they were forced to abandon their packs to squeeze through. Noa insisted on leading and she kept their fingers firmly linked so that if Liara started to lose control again, she would know immediately.

The fissure opened into a dry, tight cave that snaked back into the rock. She could feel herself being drawn forward, though not against her will. She desired whatever lay buried in the cave, she wanted to know it…to be known by it. Noa's fingers tightened around her hand. "You doing okay? " She held a glowing light stick aloft to better see Liara's face.

"Yes, I am fine…I can feel it, farther in. It is…powerfully compelling, Noa. It wants to be found."

"Then lets go find it…carefully," she amended.

Hand in hand they followed the broken floor of the cave, continuing onward deeper and deeper into the planets skin, through wide chambers and narrow tunnels.

"Goddess, it is close…" She could hear it all the time now, the implacable sound of crashing waves so loud in her head it distorted her hearing. She turned to her left, to a sloped opening that branched from the section of the cavern in which they now stood. She started forward but Noa stopped her, placing her fingers against Liara's lips.

"Shhh…I hear something." Noa freed her pistol and snapped the light stick to her clip in its place to prevent broadcasting their presence. Gesturing for her to remain silent, she crouched and headed up the smooth stone incline of the tunnel. They quietly crept through, the ceiling dropping so low they were forced to crawl, eventually sliding on their stomachs to the edge of a worn overhang. The cavern below them opened to an almost perfect stone bowl. At its center, affixed to an outcropped stone as if deliberately placed there, an orb glowed dimly in the darkness…an orb surrounded by a dozen vorcha.

The vorcha surrounded the sphere like gargoyle statues and stared into its depths as if entranced by the whorling patterns of green, blue, and purple moving within it.

Noa gently tapped her shoulder. "We need help. There are too many," she mouthed.

She brushed Noa's hand away, unable to fight the incessant whispering or the deep tingling that now strummed along her spine and settled into the base of her skull. Her palm heated as the contents of the orb began to swirl faster in response to her presence and its call grew more incessant. Powerless to resist the orb's influence, she submitted, her entire body erupting in a brilliant biotic glow.

At the abrupt intrusion of light, a dozen pairs of blood red eyes turned upward, a collective low hiss sliding through needled teeth as the pack below lifted their eyes to the ledge.

She didn't think; she reacted, launching a massive singularity in the center of the pack.

"Oh. Shit." Beside her, Noa raised her pistol and opened fire, each shot reverberating through the cavern like a clap of thunder.

The vorcha not captured by the gravity well of her singularity began to scramble up the low wall to their cramped position, leathery hides and claws illuminated by the glow of her biotics. Grasping Noa's arm, she pulled her backwards down the rock slope and drew to a halt.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Noa yelled. "You piss them off and _then_ you want to leave?"

"No…wait."

"Wait?!…Liara we've…"

The vorcha, spitting and hissing, and with their prey seemingly vulnerable before them, charged into the bottle neck and were met by another singularity. She took a deep breath, focused, and hurtled another field at it, causing the singularity to detonate with an ear splitting concussion. She started forward, back into the cavern. "Fuck… Liara..come back!"

She shimmied back up the slope with Noa close on her heels. In the dim light cast by the orb, six vorcha remained below, huddled protectively around the sphere. They would not likely fall for the same trick twice. The ledge offered the advantage of height, but provided little room to move. Seeing no alternative, she dropped over the edge and down into the pit below.

Snarling and snapping the vorcha charged. She shielded but her attention was not caught by the gnashing teeth or swiping claws of the vorcha, but the orb. It had begun to glow brightly and illuminated the cave. It sang inside her head, a single undulating note that rose and fell mournfully. Sweeping her arms forward, she pushed the vorcha back, slamming them against the far wall and away.

Behind her, Noa called for her, but her words were lost in the continued blasts of gunfire as two vorcha fell, taken down cleanly with head shots. Purple blue flashes of light zinged into the dark recesses of the room as she warped another, a throw catching it seconds later and shredding it in another explosion. She was nearly there, goddess, it was so close…it needed her, she needed it.

Behind her Noa continued shooting and another vorcha fell, the contents of its skull splashing into the face of its nearby companion.

Reaching out with her arms, she gathered raw power and shoved it at the remaining two, stumbling forward toward the orb even as they slammed into the far wall once more.

The orb. She could no more have stopped herself from answering its keening wail than she could have willed her heart to stop beating. As her hands closed around its smooth surface her palm glowed brilliantly. The sphere heated under her touch and welcomed her in.

"Liara… wait!"

She fell inward.

The cave vanished. She was everywhere and nowhere, everything and nothing, made and unmade.

_We are A'than. The cycle must continue. I am Levi'athan. The cycle must end. _The deep resonant bass of the voice vibrated through her, settling into her bones, and sinking into her marrow. At the words a sense of exultation lifted her toward an unseen surface, then a sadness as vast and deep as dark space pulled her down. A dim glimmer of hope emerged from the depths of the darkness. The orb knew her, and she it. It had lain in the dark, waiting, it and its brothers seeded across worlds. Each created for her, and her alone.

An immense weight pressed down on her, and she knew without understanding how she knew, that it was the weight of eons, a volume of time and space so vast it stretched beyond her ability to comprehend it. She bowed under it, let it mold around her, slipped inside it.

Images and impression hurled themselves against her, flung from a billion and more years ago across time and space to strike her waiting mind. She was a fulcrum, the finite point on which past and future pivoted, the point at which they raced away from each other, the point at which they collided. Gritting her teeth against the magnitude of information shocking into her system, she held on, pulling it in until her mind burned, then pulling further. Benevolence and beauty gave way to malignancy and despair. She was fractured, torn, branded and burned by the cadence of it.

Cycle. Harvest. A'than. She'ol. Levi'athan. Intelligence. Reapers. Cycle. Harvest. Reapers. Cycle. Harvest. Reapers. Reapers.

She burst outward.

"Liara…wait! Under her hands the orb was dark and dead. Its song fallen silent. She lifted her eyes just as Noa fired, the round sailing wide and striking the intended vorcha's shoulder. Without slowing, it bunched its legs and jumped high and fast, caroming off the wall toward Noa. She could barely make out its shape as she snared it in a pull mid-jump, yanking it toward her as she drew her own pistol and fired, the phalanx round shearing away half its face with a sick wet crunch.

Something hot and sharp raked deep into her side driving her to the floor of the cave. She grunted and twisted, evading the last vorcha's teeth by inches. Screaming its defiance, the vorcha reared back, claws extended to strike. Her biotics flared brightly, shredding the vorchas molecules as Noa's headshot knocked it backward.

"Liara!" Noa's boots echoed loudly in the sudden and eerie silence. She fell to her knees at her side, yanking the light stick from her holster in frustration and holding it aloft. She blinked at the sudden intrusion of light as Noa swore."Hold still, you're hurt."

Noa dropped the light stick and pulled at Liara's shirt, tearing it away in frustration. Her side ached and burned and she lifted her head to assess the damage. Four deep gashes trailed across her flank where the vorcha had raked her with its claws. As she lifted her head further, blood poured freely from the wounds.

"Lay still," Noa ordered, pressing her hands over the cuts. "Dammit!" she growled, as blood seeped from between her fingers. Noa's expression was grim as she looked up at her. "Hold pressure here." She lifted one of Liara's hands and held it to the wound. "Just…keep pressure on it." Pulling a knife from her boot, she began cutting Liara's shirt away in thick jagged strips until she was left in nothing but her thin, fitted camisole and the swatch of material protecting her back from the cavern floor.

Her foggy, aching brain finally remembered the medi-gel. "Pocket…Noa, I have medi-gel in my pocket. Aeian put it there earlier." Trembling fingers, sticky with her blood fumbled in her pockets and pulled out the tubes of gel. Ripping them open with her teeth, Noa squeezed the contents of the tubes into the wounds. She sighed with relief as the cooling gel hit her skin.

"I am going to kiss Aeian when we get back to camp." Noa rolled the strips of Liara's shirt into a thick bandage and held it in place while the gel began to congeal. Rocking back on her heels she studied Liara's face in the dim light. "You have got to be the most…stubborn, crazy asari I've ever met. What the hell were you thinking?"

The corner of her lips curled upward. "I am a quarter krogan if you recall."

"Heh." Noa dropped her head, "I'm sorry about the orb," she said softly. "We can take what's left of it back and maybe.."

"Noa, why are you sorry? I…it worked. It showed me visions and…it is very difficult to explain."

"What? How? Liara…you no sooner touched it than it went dark."

No, it had shown her visions, shared information for…what had felt like a long time. Her head was still reeling from it. She tried to lift her head, "No, Noa…that is not true." Pain lanced through her head, and she winced.

"Liara? Noa lifted the light and checked her bandage. "It's not pretty, but the bleeding has stopped." Still kneeling, she raised the stick higher, widening the pool of light. "Let's make sure you aren't injured anywhere else and….Jesus Christ…what the hell happened to you?" She tried to roll away but Noa's hand clamped around her wrist, holding her in place.

Liara knew her skin was still a rash of healing wounds. After the first night Aeian had stayed with her, she had refused to put medi-gel on her skin. The pain when she moved suddenly, when she crawled into bed at night, as she dressed and undressed, was a reminder of the terrible thing she'd done. She'd needed it, needed to bleed and hurt. She needed to remember the dangers of her gift. Closing her eyes, she pressed the heels of her palms against her lids. Even now, she needed to feel the shame that rose within her as Noa lowered the light carefully inspecting her arms.

"This didn't happen here…this is older." She slid her shirt up. Liara held her breath as her fingers lightly traced the tight, healing skin over her ribs and the torn scabs along her side and across her hip. "Liara…what did this to you? This had to have happened on Horizon and it wasn't like this when…" Noa froze and leaned forward. "Liara look at me…dammit, look at me and tell me how this happened."

Exhaling slowly, Liara lowered her arms. Ready to accept Noa's loathing and disgust…no one could despise her more than she despised herself…she opened her eyes and met Noa's gaze.

As soon as their eyes touched, Noa dropped the light and clamped her hand over her mouth, falling back on her heels. "You did this to yourself…"

When Noa dropped the light it rolled behind her, and Liara couldn't see her. She could barely make out her outline. "Noa?" Her throat felt thick and dry and her head pounded incessantly. Noa's quiet sob tore the silence. _Goddess. _Reaching out, she grasped Noa's arm, trying to lever herself up or pull Noa back.

"No…be still," Noa said softly, placing her hand on the center of Liara's chest and pushing her back down. She let her hand rest there, palm flush with her skin, fingers splayed, saying nothing. Liara couldn't speak; she didn't know what to say or do. Her heart rose in her chest, fluttering like a bird against the cage of her ribs seeking the warmth of Noa's hand. "Please…lay still. You'll tear your wound and I…I can't see you hurt anymore."

The orange glow of Noa's omni was near blinding as she stood. "Aeian, I'm going to need some help…Liara's been injured."


	20. Chapter 20 Enlightenment

**Enlightenment**

* * *

Liara's eyes fluttered open and she looked up, not entirely certain where she was until her brain registered the capsular lines of the ship's ceiling. Foggy memories returned in a rush. Aeian, furious and worried…James' hands, surprisingly gentle for a man so large. Getting her out of the cave had been a group effort accomplished with Aeian's biotics and James' brute strength working in tandem. She'd tried to stand but Noa had refused to let her place one toe on the ground until they reached the narrow fissure of the opening. There had been no choice then, and she shimmied through the narrow gap the same way she'd entered, with Noa's hand gripping hers tightly. The last thing she clearly recalled was the blast of heat that greeted her as she'd stepped onto the path and Noa's arms catching her as she fully lost consciousness.

Her mouth was as dry as sand, and she turned her head to get her bearings. She was in Noa's cabin, a room half the size of her closet on Aethyta's ship. Noa sat sprawled on a chair by the foot of the bed, sleeping. Her arms were folded across her chest, head tipped to the side and resting against the wall, legs stretched out in front of her. She'd showered and changed clothes and her hair…_Goddess! …_ "Noa..what happened to your hair!?" The words came out louder than she intended and Noa's head jerked up, her eyes flying open and racing to hers.

"Liara…how do you feel?" As she spoke she stood and reached for a cup sitting on a small table by Liara's head. Kneeling at her side, she brought the straw to her lips. "Drink."

She did, never taking her eyes off Noa's hair. When she was done, Noa placed the cup back on the table. "Noa, what happened to your hair?"

Noa lifted her hand and raked her through short blonde waves. "I, uh…I cut it. Well, Sam cut it."

Noa's once long tresses were gone, reduced to short golden waves that sprouted from her head at odd angles. The lengths that had once hung over her shoulders and rained down her back were fully gone, trimmed to her nape. The thought of Sam cutting Noa's hair…touching it at all made her feel ill, but she tamped the feeling down. She was torn. Noa's hair had been…beyond beautiful, but now trimmed, highlighted the tan oval of her face. Her eyes were huge, and luminous, the dual color of her irises more pronounced, but… "Why did you cut your hair?" A sudden thought sprang into her mind. "Goddess…did it hurt?"

Noa shrugged, "Uh…it just seemed like a good idea considering the heat." She smiled, "And no…it didn't hurt." She sat up and put her hands on her knees. "But enough about me…how are you feeling?"

She got the impression there was more to the new haircut than Noa was saying, but didn't press the issue. "I…" Her hand went to her side. Through the sheet she could feel a large, neat bandage covering her injury. It was sore, but not particularly painful. "My side does not hurt…my head is…it feels full." Unconscious, she hadn't been able to process the images from the orb, but now they clamored in her mind, screaming for attention.

The door flew open. "Ari! I thought I heard voices!" Aeian stopped just short of leaping on top of her, settling for a warm hug and a quick kiss to her brow before pulling back with a frown. "What the hell were you thinking? Goddess ari, you could have been killed! A dozen vorcha and you leap into the middle of them like a damn commando on red sand? Do you have any idea how pissed off Aethyta would be if she was here?"

A sense of dread filled her at the mention of her father. "Has there been any word?"

Aeian shook her head, "No…no there hasn't, but don't worry ari…your father is capable…and smart." He brow knit into a deep scowl. "Unlike her daughter who apparently has a damn death wish!"

She did not have the words to explain the tidal pull she'd felt from the sphere. It defied explanation. "I had to, ari. I did not have a choice, I assure you. The sphere…it was waiting for me. It needed me, and I had to go to it."

"And I need you to be safe… not skewered by filthy damn vorcha claws in the belly of a cave!"

"Aeian." Noa said, her voice a reprimand.

Aeian twisted, "Don't even get me started, human. I _still_ can't believe you let her…"

"Please stop," Liara pinched the bridge of her nose. "I assure you, Noa did not _let _me do anything. Aeian…if you had been there, the outcome would have been the same. I am sorry for frightening you, and Noa…I am more sorry than I can say for placing you in harms way, but I could not _not_ go to it. Aeian, you could not have stopped me either. I am telling you, I had no choice."

Aeian slumped, chastised. "I'm sorry, ari…and Noa. I am angry I was not there to help you. Noa said the sphere gave you visions…I hope there were fit, naked women pole dancing inside that thing for you at least."

Liara dropped her hand and laughed, "No…there were not."

"Then what did you see? Do you feel up to talking about it?"

"Yes, I _need _to talk about it I think…it is very muddled but…"

A warm hand closed over her ankle, softly squeezing through the sheet. "Just take your time, Liara. There's no rush."

"But Noa…it was amazing…and terrifying. The reapers are real…I saw them, I saw what they do, what they have _been _doing for more than a billion years."

Noa's brows rose, "Liara, there isn't any known history back that far…god, except for the rock painting."

Liara nodded, "Yes. The spheres are artifacts created by a race it referred to by two names, though they are the same. The A'than were…an unbelievably ancient space faring race that spanned the galaxy. They traveled from world to world enthralling other sentient races. The rock painting…Noa, those figures weren't trying to fight off the A'than's influence, they welcomed it. The A'than uplifted civilizations, providing them with knowledge and information they would not have attained on their own for hundreds, even thousands of years. They were viewed the same way that we view the protheans."

"The salarians uplifted the krogan, too…and look how that turned out," Aeian said. "What did these A'than want?"

"They wanted…new knowledge. Ideas and learning that can only be gained from a fresh mind…a new perspective, a different cultural experience. The A'than were peaceful knowledge seekers who gave information and technology and sought learning as tribute…it is how they evolved as a people. They referred to it as the Harvest Cycle. They were the apex race of the galaxy, and they evolved by harvesting the collected knowledge and technology of thousands of civilizations spanning a billion and more years."

"Then what happened to them?" Noa said. "How did a race…an apex race who spanned the galaxy and influenced so many get reduced to one single rock painting and some spheres?"

"There was a…breach. Over time, the A'than's thralls advanced more rapidly. Their civilizations were not only developing from the technology they received from the A'than, but building on the civilizations that had come before them. They…very much like the A'than themselves, and like we do now…sought to learn more…to grow intellectually and culturally. Synthetics were created. In every thrall race that created them, over time, the synthetics advanced and evolved at rates far surpassing their organic counterparts. The end result was always the same…the synthetics would rise up against their creators and destroy them."

"And this was bad for the A'than? They couldn't just make the synthetics their thralls?"

"No…organic sapients process and learn very differently. Think of all the art hanging on your walls Noa. Think of the spark of imagination and vision that creates it. Synthetics, as programmed constructs, do not perceive things the same…there is no chance, no randomness in their thoughts. Furthermore, synthetic races were dominant, they were killing off the organic races of the galaxy."

"So where does this breach come in? And the reapers?"

"The breach…the sphere named it the She'ol. The A'than decided that to preserve the thrall species, they needed to intervene. They created a synthetic…mind… called the Intelligence, and tasked it with developing a solution to preserve organic life in the galaxy. One of the A'than…disagreed. It believed to do so was a dangerous mistake and was…cast out."

Aeian's eyed her with concern, "Are you okay ari? You're trembling."

She hugged her chest, "No…I am fine, it is just…it was a very traumatic and unprecedented event. The outcast was named Levi'athan, and cut off from its people entirely. They were all linked, one to another. It was like…being bonded to an entire civilization and having that bond permanently severed. The Levi'athan watched and waited as the Intelligence developed its…solution. The Intelligence created pawns to gather data from across the galaxy and based on that data, determined the only way to preserve organic life was to…end it."

"That makes absolutely no sense," Noa said, dumbfounded.

"That is where the reapers come in. They are…goddess…they are synthetic and organic constructs. The intelligence used the A'than's Harvest Cycle as a template, but instead of harvesting information alone, they harvested all life itself, storing entire civilizations, and all their information, right down to their genetic code in reaper from, like…data on a sentient OSD. The Intelligence determined that when civilizations evolved enough to become space faring, it was at this point their technology became advanced enough to develop synthetic races. The Intelligence's solution was to harvest organics before they could develop more synthetics. They started with the A'than. The first reaper…was made in the shape of the A'than."

Noa and Aeian looked at each other in surprise.

"What?" Liara said. "What is it?"

Aeian's eyes held regret, and fear. "Liara, we didn't mention it before because we wanted to see what we would find, but the ship that attacked Eden Prime…it looks just like the rock painting. Except for being all black, it is identical."

Cold panic filled her. "A reaper? A reaper landed on Eden Prime?…Goddess, Aeian…that is the ship mother was talking about! We've got to go…I need to find the next one!"

"Whoa..hold up, ari…what are you talking about?"

"The reaper cycle. It is time. They are coming!"

Noa took her hand, "Slow down, Liara…finish what you were saying."

"Goddess..where was I? The Intelligence created the reapers to harvest organic life forms….it is single minded in its purpose to do so. The outcast, Levi'athan, watched from the shadows as the A'than were destroyed, their essence broken down and assimilated into the first reaper. It had predicted the Intelligence, as a synthetic itself, would turn against its creators which was why it was against the plan to create it. Afterward, for thousands of years, it continued to watch. The reapers grew stronger with every harvest cycle. The intelligence grew smarter. It wanted to perfect its plan. The mass relays were built…not by the protheans, but by the reapers themselves to speed up the harvest. As civilizations were destroyed, all evidence of their existence was wiped out…"

"That must be why there is so little evidence of races pre-dating the protheans," Noa said softly.

"Yes…to prevent subsequent civilizations from accessing vital information from their predecessors and to hide the reapers existence. The relays were built as a…a trick, to guide sentient life down a predetermined evolutionary path. Once space faring, the relays were inevitably discovered and used…"

"…signaling the onset of the next Reaper Harvest."

"Yes…Levi'athan worked alone to devise a plan to thwart the reapers. I…it's in the other spheres. Levi'athan created them, and left them for me to find. The next one…it is in a place I do not know."

"It didn't tell you?"

"No…the orbs work like prothean beacons. Rather, it would be more correct to say the beacons work like the spheres. They transfer images and impressions. It didn't speak to me, it showed me…I felt it."

"But Liara, prothean beacons fuck people up," Aeian said plainly, her eyes coloring with concern. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded. "Yes…I…" She blew out a rapid breath. "My DNA…my ability to control the will of others…"

"Holy shit, it's from Levi'athan." Noa said.

"Yes, passed along by the protheans, who inherited their method of rapid communication from it when they were uplifted by the race that preceded them. There is a line stretching back through history a billion years in the making…a chain of events set in place by Levi'athan…and I am it's end. It knew I would not arrive for…a very long time…maybe never. It left the spheres for me to find, each embedded with the information I would need."

"The way to stop an ancient race of machines is hidden in those balls?"

"No…and yes. The Levi'athan was there when the Intelligence was created, and it watched it grow. The key to stopping the reapers is to stop the Intelligence. The spheres can show me how."

Noa leaned forward and rested her forearms on her knees. "Liara…you understand this is nearly impossible. The chances we're going to find them are…less than slim. We don't even know how many there are. If they were seeded that long ago, they could be on a world we haven't even discovered yet or buried at the bottom of an ocean."

There are many…but I do not think I need to find all of them…no, I am certain I do not. Noa, the reapers are coming. Whether or not Saren is successful in his endeavor to expedite their return only matters because it increases our own urgency. Even if he fails, they will come…in numbers to blot out the stars. I have seen it.

My mother is either still on board a reaper, or has been enslaved by it. Reapers, like the A'than after whom they are modeled, can subjugate those who come into contact with them. Like the harvest cycle, it is based on the native abilities of the A'than and it is similar to my power, but…insidious and evil. I must stop them and I must save my mother. If it means I must single handedly activate a dormant relay and travel through it to obtain the next orb, I will. How could I live with myself if I turned my back on this? I cannot…I will not walk away." She looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. "But I will not ask you to walk with me."

Noa rocked back in her chair as if she'd just been slapped. "You…you don't want me to go with you?"

"You have fulfilled your oath. We found the sphere here and…you have committed enough of your time and resources to this endeavor."

Without taking her eyes from Liara's, Noa tapped the door control panel. The door opened with a hydraulic hiss. "Aeian, will you excuse us please?"

"Goddess yes." Aeian bolted through the hatch. As soon as it closed behind her, Noa knelt beside the low bunk, her eyes intent as they raked over her face.

Unable to bear the confusion in Noa's gaze, she stared at her hands, twining her fingers in the thin blanket. "Noa, I nearly got you killed. I..you have endured a great deal…more than I intended…I cannot ask you to give more."

"You're right; you can't." Noa said quietly.

Relief washed through her, and a sharp ache that threatened to swamp her. She raised her eyes. "Then you understand…"

Her words were cut off by Noa's lips. The contact was so soft, it was barely there, yet she couldn't move or breath under the force of it. Noa kissed her softly, nibbling along the curve of her mouth with delicate intent and she melted under the contact. Everything disappeared except the silky texture of Noa's mouth and the warmth of her breath playing across her skin. She forced herself to remain still, trembling with the effort not to pull her closer, to demand nothing more than the low burn of this maddeningly slow contact. She had been down that path and it was an agony she would not repeat. As her bottom lip was captured between straight teeth and the tip of Noa's tongue traced its outline a low sound of pleasure escaped her throat. Noa shuddered at the sound and tilted her head, slowly deepening the kiss, groaning when Liara's tongue beckoned for more. She was lost in a haze of heat under the perfection of Noa's lips and cried out in protest when she abruptly pulled away.

"Christ…" Noa ran a trembling hand through her cropped hair and stood. "You don't have to ask me to help you because…dammit, I'm not giving you a choice. You can't ask for more, Liara, because I've got nothing else to give. Did you ever ask yourself why you couldn't control me that night? Why you couldn't _will_ me to belong to you?" She slapped her palm against the control and the hatch opened. "Because I already did." Without another word, she disappeared through the door.


	21. Chapter 21 You're joking, right?

**You****'re Joking, Right?**

* * *

Liara was ready to get back to work. Her wounds were nearly healed and since touching the sphere she'd felt a growing sense of urgency and a mounting trepidation. The reapers were coming and she had to be ready. There was still no word from Aethyta, and not a hint regarding Saren's whereabouts. The Spectre searching for him had been diverted to Luna to investigate a rogue VI at a Systems Alliance training facility. In her opinion it was a colossal waste of a valuable resource. They needed the Spectre focused on Saren, not dallying with what was a singularly human problem when the entire galaxy was at stake.

Walking into the kitchen, she found Jeeves chopping vegetables and her brows hiked upward; the jovial mech's repertoire of skills never ceased to amaze her. He paused, the jaunty red tie about his neck swinging as he turned. "Greetings, Ms. T'Soni, may I be of service?"

"Do you know where I can find Noa, please?"

"Noa is currently in the lab with Mr. Vakarian."

"Thank you, Jeeves." Pivoting on her heel, she exited the kitchen and made her way to the lift. On the ride down, she considered how to best state her proposition to Noa. They needed to find the next sphere, but other than the images she'd been given, she had nothing to reference. Joining their minds would provide the greatest chance of deciphering the image, but the prospect of intentionally melding with Noa generated an array of mixed emotions. _What if she says no?_ Even knowledge melds were…intimate, and she had already trespassed in Noa's mind once. Still, it was the only solution she could think of. The chances of Noa recognizing the location were slim, but she _had_ traveled extensively in her solo archeological efforts and she'd rather exhaust the resources at hand before they began looking elsewhere.

Things between them were…different, subtly shifting into something that made her feel giddy and breathless at the same time. On the return trip from Namakli, Noa had insisted she remain in her cabin, thus making it impossible to avoid her, but she discovered she no longer wanted to. They were healing.

The morning after her abrupt departure from the tiny cabin Noa had returned. She'd made no mention of their conversation the evening prior…or the kiss… but had resolutely inserted herself into Liara's daily routine, such as it was with nothing to do but rest and recover. When Noa hadn't been at the helm or otherwise occupied, she had spent several hours every day with her. She smiled at the memory.

Initially, she had been hesitant to ask questions, too fearful of damaging the fragile bond growing between them by unintentionally speaking out of turn. Yet being with Noa was so easy that before long she had rattled off questions as enthusiastically as a child, intrigued and enamored with every response that revealed another facet of Noa's personality.

She now knew Noa's favorite food was a type of fish known as salmon, a common fare where she had grown up. Noa enjoyed documentary films, and had laughed when she'd reluctantly admitted an affinity for Blasto movies. She had met Sam through a mutual friend who had recommended the software and systems engineer for her tech skills and had fallen in love with Horizon when she'd traveled there to meet her. Garrus had rescued James from a gang on Illium in Shakarian Security's formative years and Noa had been so impressed by him she'd convinced Garrus to offer him a job. She inherited her wavy hair from her mother, and during her childhood, had a pet canine named Cousteau. There had been no more heady kisses. Indeed, Noa never touched her at all…but sometimes when their eyes met it was like touching a live wire, a sizzling jolt of shared awareness charged with potential.

Most surprising was that she had woken with Noa sleeping by the foot of the cot every morning. The first time it happened, she'd been so surprised she'd barely dared to breathe. She had lain there, quiet and still, and through slitted eyes watched the rise and fall of Noa's chest as she slept, breathing in the earthy scent of her until she woke.

The practice became routine. She fell asleep alone and woke to the warmth of Noa's presence. They had said little then, as if those waking moments were made of thin glass the weight of words might shatter. Words weren't necessary; there was little to be said that their nearness to each other alone did not convey…a whispered good morning or did you rest well. Noa always lied, of course, but it was a gentle lie. There was no way she could have slept well in that tiny chair. After a few fragile minutes, Noa would stand and stretch, offer her that beguiling, crooked smile and quietly leave. Reaching Horizon had been bittersweet. Though it had been a relief to escape the small ship, their mornings together had come to an end.

The woosh of the door yanked her out of her reverie and back to the task at hand. Entering the lab she did not see Noa, but Garrus was standing at the workbench adjusting a sniper scope. As usual, he wore armor, though this time it was a lightweight variety, still in his preferred blue. Shakarian Security was printed in bold black letters across the back. He turned as she neared.

"Liara…Somehow I'm not surprised to see you down here." His mandibles twitched slightly in what she had come to know as a sort of half smile. He held up the scope and looked through it for a moment. "You know, Noa mentioned you knew a little bit about weapons."

"Yes," She drew closer to get a better look at the rifle. "Though I find that I enjoy their utilization for recreational purposes much more than for self protection."

Garrus laughed, a pleasant flanged sound that made his mandibles flap wildly. "I can appreciate that. Still, from what I hear you're an impressive shot."

"I am proficient, but no marksman by any means."

He affixed the scope to its mount over the body of the rifle, gloved talons affectionately stroking its surface when it clicked into place. "Now this…this is a beautiful weapon. You ever shoot anything like this?"

"No…the opportunity has never presented itself. To reduce fatigue, biotics typically stick to lighter weapons. During my training, that is what was provided."

"It makes sense; biotics need to be mid to close range to be effective. I prefer distance myself. On Sur'Kesh, I once took out a salarian assassin from over two thousand meters in air so thick with humidity it was almost fog." He dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "If you tell Noa I said this, I'll deny it of course, but she's easily as good a shot as I am."

"From what she tells me, she owes that to you…in which case I should say thank you. Without Noa's timely intervention I would have been much more severely injured."

"No, that's all her. I provided the training, but the skill is hers and in a fight, she's a force to be reckoned with." Garrus considered her through the blue glow of his monocular visor. "About Noa…listen, you seem like a nice girl Liara but…tread carefully. Noa is…well, I've never met anyone like her. She knows who she is, she knows her strengths and weaknesses…" He canted his head sideways and gave her a pointed look. "She knows what makes her vulnerable. Noa plays tight to her chest, but when she commits to something… or someone, she goes all in. It just isn't in her to do things any other way. It's why any of her friends would follow her anywhere." He paused, the friendly tilt of his head and open posture at odds with the cool regard of his eyes. "Noa Shepard is about the closest thing this turian has to a best friend. She and I have been through a lot together and well… you catch my meaning." He laid the rifle on the workbench and gave it a gentle pat, his eyes never leaving hers. "I'm rather _protective_ of her."

She didn't know how to appropriately respond, or if indeed there was an appropriate response. On one hand, Garrus seemed to have complimented her, yet on the other, he seemed to have threatened her as well. He watched her expectantly as she weighed her words, biting back the instinctive retort that jumped to her lips. Garrus's words held too large a grain of truth for her to deny. Intentionally or not, she had hurt Noa. A heaviness settled in her chest as she remembered the muffled sound of Noa crying in the cave, the heat of her palm as she'd gently held her down. Goddess…she did not want to hurt her again, or make her vulnerable. "I will keep that in mind, Garrus." The familiar tread of approaching boots caught her attention.

"Jesus Christ, Garrus," Noa turned a nearby corner and came into view, her tone a mixture of amusement and resignation. "Are you pulling that whole big-brother routine again? Did you threaten her?" She looked at Liara. "Did he threaten you?" With his back to Noa, Garrus's hand gave the gun a discreet pat and his mandibles quivered as her gave her a meaningful look.

"Of course not," she lied smoothly. "We were simply discussing…"

Garrus threw back his head and roared with laughter, metallic mandibles flapping so wildly his head would have flown away it not for his neck keeping it firmly affixed to his body. "Oh, you are good asari." He pivoted to face Noa. "She's good. I even did the whole weapon display bit and she didn't bat a lash."

"Damn it, Garrus," Noa rested her hands on her hips and tapped the toe of one boot against the floor. "I can't wait to do the same thing to you when _you_ have a girlfriend…assuming anyone can ever put up with your spiny ass." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know…I'll sharpen my knife as I tell her how you're my long lost turian brother. I'll bet there's nothing like the rasping of metal over a whetstone to send potential love interests screaming for the hills."

Liara's mind raced…_Did she just say what I think she said? No…I must have misunderstood._

"Actually that particular sound is so reminiscent of talons raking over plates it would more likely to _attract_ turian females than dissuade them, so unless your plan is to woo my would-be mate, that's probably not a good idea," Garrus drawled.

"Oh," Noa blinked. "Then I guess I won't do that." She tilted her chin up to look at his face, her expression mischievous. "But I'll think of something." She turned to Liara, her smile bright. "Hey, Liara…did you need something?"

_You. _The thought leaped to the front of her mind. "Yes, I do…I've been thinking about the location of the next orb, and how to best identify it, but…"

"You can see it, right?" Garrus said. "The sphere you touched gave you some sort of mental image of where it is?"

"Yes…exactly, so I was thinking…"

"Why don't you just show it to Noa with that…asari mind thing? Maybe she can see something you don't that will help us figure it out."

'Us'. In a very short time she had grown to accept and rely on that simple collective word more and more.

"That's a great idea, Vakarian." Noa said and moved to stand before her. "What do you need me to do?"

This had been a lot easier than she'd anticipated. "Are you sure, Noa? Some species fear melding…." Usually because they perceived it as a type of mind control and she had already managed to abuse Noa's trust in that regard. "I do not want you to be afraid."

Noa's smile was soft, her eyes earnest, "I trust you, Liara."

The softly spoken words were a soothing balm to her spirit. "Thank you, Noa…your trust is very valuable to me." She took Noa's hands in hers. Technically, touch wasn't needed, but the warmth of Noa's skin against hers felt…right. She would keep the meld simple and straight forward, her touch light and respectful. Though she had done nothing to earn it, Noa trusted her and she was slowly beginning to trust herself again. She had spent too much time and effort exerting her will over others, and not enough controlling herself.

She looked deeply into Noa's eyes. "Relax, Noa. Take slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell. Reach out and grasp the threads that bind us…one to another. Every action sends ripples across the galaxy; every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit. We are all connected, every living being united in a single, glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe…embrace eternity."

She had expected resistance, but her mind slipped into Noa's like a key into a lock.

Every mind had a color, and Noa's was golden, like her hair and her smile and the warmth of her laughter.

_And you're blue…like deep water…like the ocean…_

_Yes… _She moved carefully, fighting the temptation to dive into her…and goddess, she wanted to… Noa's natural warmth was like a siren's call… she did not. She kept the meld feather light, only breaching the most superficial layer of Noa's consciousness. Isolating the picture the sphere had given her, she let in spring forth in her memory. The image was simple, a great eye hovering in space, a dark pupil with an iris of yellow and a corona of white and was accompanied by a sense of depth and isolation. She slowly siphoned it into Noa's mind and retreated.

She opened her eyes to find Noa frowning. "Are you alright, Noa? Did I do something wrong?" She hadn't, she knew she hadn't. _Why is she frowning?_

"What? No…I'm fine," Noa gave her hands a reassuring squeeze. "But this just got a lot more complicated." Releasing her hands she spun and headed for her terminal.

"Why do I not like the sound of that," Garrus said. "There are complications and then there are…_complications. _Something tells me this is the latter variety."

Liara followed Garrus up the steps and moved to look over Noa's shoulder. "Could you make anything of it?"

Noa tapped the haptic input. "Yes…to both of you. I've got to give your Levi'athan credit…it made the orb easy to find..relatively speaking. The image is a map…a system map, and in the known galaxy, there is one system…and only one…with binary suns and only one planet. The image is confusing because the perspective is from a great distance, with the bodies in alignment…the planet eclipsing both suns. Even had they not been, you would never have recognized it. It's not on any charts."

"I do not understand."

"Watch and I'll show you." A holographic rendering of a planetary system appeared. Two suns, one slightly larger than the other dominated its center; one planet orbited them in the distance. Noa tapped the screen, and shifted the perspective to a horizontal plane and brought them into alignment. The great eye she had seen suddenly made sense.

"Goddesss…yes…that is it. Where is it exactly?"

Noa turned with a sigh. "Parnack."

"You're joking, right?" Garrus said. Her expression said she clearly wasn't, and Garrus's mandibles drooped. "Spirits Noa."

She looked from Noa to Garrus as they stared at each other. "Will either of you explain, please?"

Noa leaned back against the terminal and crossed her arms over her chest. "In 2125 Citadel surveyors discovered an uncharted system on the fringe on the Valhallan Threshold." She hitched her thumb over her shoulder toward the view screen. "This one. DEM scans of the system's only planet, Parnack, revealed substantial infrastructure. It's inhabited by a sentient species known as the yahg. Intel gathered by a covert STG infiltration unit indicated they were nearing space flight and a delegation was sent by the Council to make first contact." She rubbed the back of her neck. "It, uh…it didn't go well."

"Noa, I never knew you were such a master of understatement." Garrus's tone was dry as he shifted his weight and looked at Liara. "What she really means to say is that yagh are vicious predators that make krogan look like cuddly volus babies. When the ambassadors failed to acknowledge the yagh's superiority they were slaughtered…all of them. After that the Council declared Parnack off limits." He turned back to Noa who had begun muttering under her breath. "I see that look in your eye, Noa…this is a bad idea…and we don't even know where on the planet the sphere is."

Noa tugged at her lip, "Sam's been studying the orb from Namakli and thinks she may have come up with a way to search for it."

"Damn," Garrus stroked a taloned hand across his jaw. "Foiled by science…I hate it when that happens."

"Do you have an idea, Noa?" she asked.

"I might…I'll need to reach out to some contacts but I'm pretty sure I can get us there." She turned, grinning like a kid. "I've kind of always wanted to go to Parnack."

**A/N A sincere and heartfelt thanks for all the faves, follows, and awesome feedback! YOU ARE AWESOME! **

Also, OMG we're going to Parnack!


	22. Chapter 22 A Very Bad Idea

**A Very Bad Idea**

* * *

Liara fought the urge to laugh as Noa swatted wildly at a swarm of gnat-like insects buzzing around her head. The repeated action was as futile this time as it had been the hundreds of times she'd repeated it since they touched the planet's surface three hours ago.

"I'm beginning to think coming to Parnack wasn't such a good idea…damn it! " Noa sharply smacked her arm, leaving a small smear of blood and crushed wings in the wake of her hand as she pulled it away.

"Ya think?" Aeian's tone was sharp and sarcastic, but her expression was sympathetic. The insects of the sweltering rainforest planet of Parnack avoided the biotics entirely but were drawn to Noa like bees to nectar; her skin was mottled with bites.

Sighing, Liara stopped next to the moss covered trunk of a towering tree and dropped her pack long enough to strip down to her tank top. She could feel Noa's eyes on her, clinging more tenaciously than the humid air and a thrill ran through her.

"What are you doing?" Noa said.

She shouldered the light pack and thrust the shirt at Noa who wore only a sleeveless tank. "Please put this on…you are miserable and it will at least provide a degree of protection."

Noa accepted the long sleeved garment…the same one she had refused hourly… with an appreciative smile. "Thanks Liara."

While Noa donned the shirt, Liara's eyes traveled across their surroundings. They were on a barely existent wildlife trail surrounded on all sides by brilliant green trees and plants. A narrow strip of sky was just visible through the canopy overhead, but the light filtering through it was captured by broad leaves before it reached the forest floor. The heat and humidity were a challenge, but Parnack was wildly beautiful.

It had taken nearly two weeks of planning, but they'd managed to pull it off. Noa's contact with STG, Padok Wiks, had provided valuable intel on the yagh as well as the transponder codes to circumvent the network of warning buoys that surrounded the planet. Per Padok's report, STG was still completing covert scientific ops on the planet with the blessing of the Council. The arrangement was mutually beneficial for both entities. The salarians had exclusive access to study the abundance of plant and animal life on the surface and on behalf of the Council, monitored the yagh's progress toward spaceflight. They had been surprised to learn there was a modest black market to the isolated world and STG also served to thwart attempts to move advanced technology to the yagh. According to Padok's intel, the yahg were keenly intelligent beings…on par with the salarians themselves, though none of the written reports indicated as much, and it was believed they would quickly learn to utilize any tech they got their massive hands on.

Noa had decided they would deploy as a three person squad rather than bring the entire team. It made sense; Sam, though fit, was in no wise cut out for navigating the harsh terrain of the jungle on foot and just the sight of Vega's muscle bound frame would likely result in a physical confrontation with the pack minded race if and when they encountered them. While she, Aeian and Noa searched for the artifact, Garrus remained behind with the shuttle. The slim turian had not been happy with the plan, but in the end had reluctantly acquiesced. He was their sole ticket off the planet and keeping the shuttle protected was imperative.

With her arms now covered, Noa hefted her pack with a grunt and they started back up the trail. "Christ, I can't believe I let Anto talk me into bringing this thing…it weighs a ton!"

Once Noa had learned of the black market, she'd sent feelers out through her contacts and received a hit from Anto, a batarian on Omega. He had strongly suggested bringing something to offer as a gift should they run into trouble. When Noa had asked him 'what the hell do you give a yagh' his answer had been concise. A big gun. The murderous assault rifle strapped to Noa's pack more than fit the bill.

Noa's omni-tool flared to life and she nodded her head toward the trail. "The readings are definitely picking up an energy signature consistent with the orb from that direction, but I don't like it."

Aeian tapped her own omni, wincing in agreement as she looked at the surface map. "Yeah, this is going to take us right through the nearest settlement. We'll be better off going around."

"Unless it is _at_ the settlement," Liara said. "On Namakli, the vorcha were huddled around the sphere as if they were drawn to it."

"I've been thinking about that," Noa said. "There's a good chance it's a built in defense mechanism; the orb attracts sentient natives and compels them to revere it thus making it less likely to be destroyed or lost. The A'than may have used orbs like those to enthrall tribute species."

"This could be problematic," she said. "If they are under its influence, and desire to protect it…"

"Then we are fucked," Aeian said plainly. "I doubt the yagh will consider that sexy weapon you brought an acceptable trade."

"Hopefully we won't have to find out. C'mon, let's keep moving."

They continued slowly onward, their boots nearly silent against the blanket of leaves underfoot as they filed through the trees. Though they saw no native wildlife other than brightly plumed birds, the ambient noise emanating from the trees indicated an abundance of fauna. The forest was alive with sounds and Liara found herself lagging behind as she occasionally paused to listen, entranced by the variety of avian species and their songs. She quickened her pace, and had nearly reached Noa when a yagh emerged from behind a tree ahead of Aeian. They all froze.

_Goddess…_He was huge…easily eight feet tall, possibly more, and nearly half again as wide. James, for all his brawn, would have looked like a child beside him. Yet despite his bulk the yagh had moved silently. He appeared to be unarmed, though that did little to reassure her. With hands that looked like they could crush skulls as easily as nevi fruit, he was a weapon by himself.

His torso was bare and heavily muscled, and his skin a brown so dark it was almost black. Heavy, horned armor covered his shoulders, forearms, and the backs of his three fingered hands. His legs were encased in dark green pants, cut to expose the armored plates of his thighs, and he wore soft, tall boots that conformed to the shape of his feet.

The yagh studied them with keenly intelligent eyes, the triangle shape of his mouth opening and closing slightly in time to his breathing. After a moment, he tilted his head to the side a fraction, and a brief, deep sound rose from his throat. A rustling overhead caused her to start, and she turned just as another yagh…a youth, judging by his comparatively smaller size, dropped from the boughs of a nearby tree and onto the trail behind her.

The two talked briefly in a rumbling, guttural language, though she distinctly heard the words 'human', 'asari', and 'salarian' in galactic standard. Judging from Noa's expression, she'd heard it also. Following several minutes of low conversation that seemed to involve a great deal of nodding and head tilting for nonverbal expression, the pair seemed to reach an agreement. The larger yahg looked them over and pushed past Aeian to reach Noa.

Noa stood relaxed, with her arms at her sides, making no outward show of aggression as he approached her. When he stopped in front of her, she stood her ground, though she avoided making eye contact. "Do you speak galactic standard?' she asked.

"Some," came the gruff reply. Liara tensed as he placed a beefy hand on Noa's shoulder and propelled her forward and along the trail in front of him for a short distance before stepping in front of her and continuing on. He clearly wanted them to follow and he had somehow deduced Noa was in charge of their expedition. In fact, he ignored her and Aeian entirely. Based on what she had recently read of their social structure, it was likely assumed that if Noa was their leader, she and Aeian would naturally follow.

Wiks had warned them to avoid contact with the yagh if at all possible and barring that, to avoid conflict at all costs. The only guarantee of a successful outcome was killing the potential threat outright, and as quickly as possible. If that happened, however, they would need to abandon their search immediately or be dealt with harshly by other yahg sure to be in the area. There was no such thing as a lone yagh. Padok had not elaborated on exactly what he'd meant by 'harshly' but looking at the yahg she could very well imagine. Even considering the yahg's size, there was a slim chance that between the three of them, they might have been able to pull it off, but they had yet to find the sphere. She still had a sinking feeling it was located wherever these two planned to take them.

Her thoughts caused her to pause, and the young yahg behind her shoved her sharply. She fell, gracelessly sprawling in the dirt. The older yahg, along with Noa, turned at the sound of her startled cry and as she picked herself up two sets of livid eyes, one distinctly alien and the other gorgeously familiar, glared at the young male. The elder spoke a few short, harsh sounding words of reprimand before continuing on his way.

"Are you okay, Liara?" Noa asked.

"Yes…I am fine," she replied, wiping her hands on her pants and filing away the occurrence. Clearly the yahg did not want them injured. Aeian moved to her side and the group continued on.

They marched through the forest for perhaps another five hundred meters before the trail branched sharply to the left and became an elevated wooden walkway. Here the trees had been pruned and were bound back by thick vines. The vines ran horizontally in long rows along along the tree trunks, with younger vines near the middle of the tree and older, woodier vines higher up. She could tell some of them had been there for a long time, and under a great deal of pressure because the vines toward the top of the rows had grown into the bark of the trees they supported. The end result was like walking through a living tunnel that was both beautiful and practical.

"Where do you suppose he's taking us?" Aeian said.

"Likely to whomever is in charge," she said. "He has not said we are prisoners, nor touched our packs, but I do not believe this visit is optional."

Aeian scowled over her shoulder, "Well this is just a damn..."

"Speak carefully," she said softly. Ahead of Aeian the ruffs on the yahg's head stood out, quivering lightly with every word they spoke as if listening. "We know too little, ari. Do not speak in haste and weaken our position further."

Aeian fell silent but a few moments later peered back, "You're right…but I do not like feeling helpless."

She offered her an understanding smile, but kept her eyes up and alert as the walkway began to rise, and shifted from wood to grated metal suspended from the surrounding trees by heavy cables. The walkway continued to curve and rise, and she gasped as she looked over it's side. To their left, the terrain fell off steeply. Stretched out below them, the tops of the trees contained flat angular structures. She wanted to call them huts, for lack of a better term, but they were much, much larger. The abodes appeared to be constructed of the same type of metal as the walkway, with conical roofs to allow rain and debris to wash away and they spread throughout the tree tops and descended down the mountain in neat rows, like giant steps.

Sudden bright sun from her right pulled her eyes away and she turned, looking over the right side of the walk. A large swathe of the forest had been cleared of trees and contained what could only be called a small city. Tall hexagonal buildings rose from the ground, and stretched off into the distance, separated by a honeycomb network of wide streets. Yahg…many more, moved purposefully from place to place. She tried to peer into the buildings but the windows that lined their sides were distorted and difficult to see through.

"How do you suppose they power it?" Aeian said.

"My guess is hydroelectric power," Noa said. "There's a strong river system and as a power source it's efficient and clean, which seems to be important…look down there. If this was Omega, there would be trash and junk everywhere….the streets below are spotless."

Below them, two yahg, one of whom appeared to be a street vendor of sorts, haggled loudly over an item when a fight erupted between them. The other yahg in the vicinity turned to watch, heads tilted in interest. Small, brightly colored fan-like ruffs stood out and twitched rapidly, conveying excitement. Even their escorts paused, bracing their hands against the cabled railing of the walkway to observe the altercation.

The fight was quick and brutal as the larger of the pair leaped forward, faster than seemed possible for a creature of such immense size, and grabbed the horns atop his adversaries head. Twisting hard and fast, he wrenched the other yagh's head sharply downward, slamming him against the ground. Using his bulk, he forced his face into the street and pinned him, pressing his knee between the smaller yahg's shoulder's when he tried to rise and leaning over his head to issue a guttural slur. Before the smaller yahg had ceased struggling, the onlookers returned to their tasks and he was released. The victor bellowed, long and loud and pounded his fist against his chest while the smaller rose and dusted his hands before turning to leave.

"I guess he didn't like the return policy." Aeian said. "Have you noticed they do not look at us, ari?"

"Yes…" She had noticed. Though their avoidance did not convey disdain so much as…submissive indifference. When the yagh's eyes did happen to land on them, they quickly slid away, as if they didn't have permission to look, so why bother.

The walkway continued up and up, eventually ending high at the side of the tallest building in the settlement. Their escort pounded his fist on the door and was admitted by another enormous male a moment later. They were led inside, and Liara's heart dropped. A short row of barred rooms that could only be cells lined a nearby wall

The two larger yahg conversed briefly, with the younger one moving off to the side and tilting his head away from their conversation. Aeian eyed her nervously. "Well, I guess it's safe to assume we aren't honored guests," Aeian said softly.

Liara waved her off with her hand, watching the yahg intently without blatantly staring. Their deep voices were so low she found following their conversation difficult. Asari hearing was attuned to the higher pitch of feminine voices. Ignoring their words, she looked for nonverbal cues; from their gestures the yahg seemed to indicate they would be held here, then taken somewhere else later.

A few moments later, the yahg who had brought them here led them to the open and waiting cells. Grasping Noa's pack, he tugged lightly indicating she should remove it. Frowning, but saying nothing, she slid the pack off her shoulders. Liara and Aeian followed suit and he took their bags and placed them in the far corner of one cell, while placing Noa in the cell next to them. She and Aeian were ushered together into a third cell next to hers.

The doors closed with an ominous clang and the slick metal rasp of engaging locks. None of them spoke as the yahg who had escorted them here motioned for the younger male to follow and exited the room through a thick interior door. Liara gasped as the door opened and the familiar wave crashing sound drifted through it. The sound faded as the door closed and the trio turned to each other.

She rushed to the bars that separated them, each fully as thick as her wrist and widely spaced, though not so far apart she could slip through. "Noa…it's here. I heard it when he opened he door."

Noa ran her fingers through sweat damp hair made more wavy than usual by the region's humidity. Her eyes were dark and tense, "I don't know what good knowing it is here is going to do us Liara…Christ, you saw the size of these people! Our chance of even getting near it are slim…our chances of retrieving it are non-existent at this point. At least they left us our omni-tools…"

She wrapped her hand around Noa's where it rested against a bar and pitched her voice low. "Choose your words carefully…I suspect they understand more than we think."

Noa approached the front of the cell and looked toward the lone yahg on the far side of the room. "May we get some water?" He tilted his head to the side and spoke a few unintelligible words. "Water?" Noa said again, this time miming drinking from a glass. He seemed to weigh the request then spoke again. Pushing away from wall against which her leaned, he crossed the room, exiting through the same interior door.

As soon as it closed behind him, Noa toggled her omni. "Garrus…zero in on my location. I need you one click away and ready to swoop in at a moment's notice. Be ready." Offering the turian no further explanation, she deactivated her omni just as the yahg returned carrying a smooth, stone cup. Sliding back a panel on the cell door, he thrust it through. It fit Noa's hands like a giant bowl. He turned, retreating to his post while Noa drank. When she turned to offer it to them, Liara shook her head slightly. "No…do not. You may be seen as less for it…and it will not fit between the bars anyway. Place it on the opposite side of your cell, away from us."

"Why did they separate us?" Aeian asked as Noa placed the water on the far wall on her cell.

"They judged Noa to be in charge…but I don't think they see her as a greater threat. They do not perceive us as a threat at all. I think it was done more out of respect for what they feel is her higher rank."

"How can you even tell that?" Aeian said.

"Deduction primarily…. The yahg are highly intelligent, but their social structure follows a very primal hierarchy based on physical dominance, control, and aggression," she explained. "I have spent years observing the small ways in which people gauge rank and status, Aeian…and the subtle displays of power that occur. Our species might be different but the context is the same."

"So what now?" Aeian said. "I am not meant to be kept confined, Liara. I need to move. I need space… I need sex."

Despite the seriousness of their situation, Liara's lips curved. She had grown to accept Aeian's language and openness in stride, and experienced a small swell of pride that she no longer blushed furiously every time Aeian opened her mouth. "Yes…I know. You tell me often… and in graphic detail."

Noa's brows rose abruptly as she eyed Aeian, "Really?"

Smiling seductively, Aeian stepped closer and pressed herself against the bars. "Shall I tell you, too, Noa?" Her voice was a low seductive croon and she resisted the urge to warp her on the spot though she knew her ari meant nothing by it. Aeian used humor and sexuality to diffuse tension the same way Liara used meditation; it was second nature to her and their situation was definitely tense. Across from Aeian, Noa backed away.

"Um…no thanks." She looked at Liara, "How long do you suppose it will be before they come and get us?"

"I do not think they will take all of us, Noa…I think it will only be you." Even as the words fell from her lips, she knew with certainty she couldn't let that happen. The risk to Noa was too great and she had to get the orb…she _had_ to. There was no other choice. It was here, and they might never get so close again. Because she alone could sense it, she was the only one who could find it….and she alone had the power to convince the yahg to let her near it. Since she'd touched the previous orb, her awareness of her gift had grown. She could feel the ability inside her, patiently waiting to be released. Noa had no such method of protecting herself…not even biotics. If they took her and she misspoke even once, her death was a near certainty. She would never, _never_ let that happen.

"Liara…what is it?" Noa's voice was thick with concern as she studied her face.

The door on the opposite side of the room opened. Their guide emerged through the door. In his hand he held a key.

Heart thudding rapidly in her chest, Liara seized the only opportunity she would have. Pushing Aeian aside, she reached through the bars and slipped her hand behind Noa's neck. Pulling her close she crushed their lips together, felt Noa's surprise and a low moan as she succumbed to Liara's lips. She wrenched her mouth away and placed her lips near Noa's ear, her voice a frantic whisper, " Forgive me, love." Yanking hard, she slammed Noa's head against the bars… hard enough to knock her unconscious. Noa slumped against the her arm and slid limply to the floor.

"Liara…what the fuck are you doing?" Aeian yelled in surprise.

Liara turned so that her back was to their approaching jailer. Clenching her fists, she made her posture aggressive, but her voice was the barest whisper. "Take care of her, I will be back….bow your head…do it now." She was convinced their captor could understand them, but of the off chance he did not, she had to convince him she was the leader of their small squad in a language he could not misinterpret.

Her breath escaped in a relieved sigh as Aeian seemed to catch on and backed away from her, appearing cowed. She straightened and drew herself to her full height. Turning her back to Aeian she moved to stand in front of the door, as if the next logical step would be for him to lead her from the cell.

Their guide looked at Noa's slumped form through the bars and gave a low huff before fixing Liara with a pointed gaze. "You surprise me, asari." Inserting the key into the lock, he twisted and pulled her door open.

Though trembling inside, she schooled her face to an expressionless mask and said nothing. She would need to be exceptionally careful. Not only had the yahg just revealed he understood their language and knew her species, but at their core, yahg were predators…hunters…naturally and instinctively driven to identify artifice and lies. Without looking back, she exited the cell and followed him from the room.

He led her down a long hallway toward the center of the building, and into a round lift. She experienced a brief moment of shock as the floor of the elevator felt like it was falling away before they began to slowly trundle upward. _No inertial dampeners…of course. _She busied herself by watching the yahg beside her from the corner of her eye but her efforts only got her a good look at the heavy muscle of his upper arm. He was so tall it was impossible to see above his shoulder without leaning sideways in the confined space though she couldn't miss his scent. He smelled like rotting wood.

When the doors opened at the top floor she waited for her escort to exit before following him out into a box shaped antechamber capped by the widest set of wooden double doors she had ever seen. They were the first evidence of anything resembling native artwork she had seen and she paused a moment to admire their craftsmanship. Their entire surface was an intricately carved depiction of the forest. Animals…hundreds of them, all different, covered every square inch, each carved in exquisite detail. The orb was behind those doors, she could hear its song digging into her mind, urging her forward. As her escort stepped forward and rapped armored knuckles against the wood, she breathed deeply and slowly. She must not respond…not yet. It was too soon. She kept her eyes downcast as the doors swung open, lifting them only enough to get her bearings as she stepped through.

The room they entered was large and open, encompassing the entirety of the building's top most floor. Tall arched windows allowed natural light to flood the brightly colored mosaic tile of the floor and underfoot, thick natural fiber rugs stretched out in a line, forming a path to the center of the room. Her eyes followed the path to a low dais and a thrum of shock radiated through her. On the dais, behind a neatly appointed desk, a female yahg sat on a heavy wooden chair. She sat so still she could have been carved from stone and her expression was unreadable as she studied Liara. There was no doubt in her mind this was the settlement's leader. Like a matriarch, she exuded power and intelligence. Two guards, both male and armed with rifles of a type she had never seen before stood on either side of the raised floor.

The female yahg was significantly smaller than her male counterparts; more lean and light, with smoothly corded muscles. Her ample breasts were bound by a sarong style garment that wrapped across her chest and over one shoulder and her dark red skin bore no armor plating. Where the males had two small ruffs on each side of their head, hers circled her head like a serrated crown. Past her right shoulder, in the corner of the room, the orb swirled enticingly on a thick wooden pedestal. Liara did not permit her gaze to linger on it for longer than a fraction of a second, but once again averted her eyes, following mutely several paces behind her captor. He paused as they neared the dais, and she cautioned a glance upward.

"I was expecting a human, Favah," the female said. Though her voice was higher, it had the same resonant timbre of the males.

"When I entered the holding room, this one bested her," he said plainly.

The female seemed to consider this for a moment. "Very well Favah…leave us."

From the corner of her eye she watched Favah tilt his head deeply to the right before departing back in the direction from which they had just come.

Liara stood with her hands folded, breathing slowly and deeply in an attempt to slow her racing heart.

"Look at me," the female commanded. Liara raised her eyes and in that instant, knew how prey must feel when it is cornered and certain death awaits. Her mother's words rang through her head, slicing through the calling song of the orb. _Remember who you are, Liara T'Soni. _She forced herself to relax, to be still. To communicate nothing of her thoughts or intent. Her life…Noa's and Aeian's lives…hinged on the next several minutes. She must not fail.

"Asari." It was a simple statement. "I have met your kind before. I was but a child when your Council sent its ambassadors to our planet." The female tented her fingers and regarded her silently for a moment. "I am not what you expected either, I see."

"I confess you are not," she admitted.

"I find it ironic that you, a member of an all female species, would expect to find a male in power here." Liara schooled her expression to stillness. While asari weren't truly female, it nevertheless amazed her at how astutely the queen…for that was truly how she seemed…had assessed her thoughts, and how familiarly she spoke of the asari….how familiarly she spoke, period. "Males are useful when things must be built," the queen continued, "or for breeding. But you should have a greater understanding than most, I would think, that neither power nor strength are truly physical…what is your name?"

"Liara T'Soni."

"Why have you come here?"

She must not lie, nor could she speak the full truth. She walked a taut-line with her words. "I have come as an explorer, in search of answers. Tales of your world and your people exist as myth to the few in the galaxy who know of your presence. I merely sought knowledge and understanding."

"So do the ones that call themselves salarian, yet they seek to gain it by stealing our young and taking them away…did they send you?"

_Goddess…stealing their children? _"No, I have come at no one's bidding and with no such intent," she said firmly. If she could not convince the female otherwise, they were all dead. She had to work quickly, and carefully…very, very carefully. Slowly…like a breath that barely stirs air, she reached out with her mind until she could sense the queen's aura. Everything about it was huge…and brilliant….strength, intelligence, wisdom like an ancient tree, and a mother's fierce protectiveness…she could sense them all….and she wrapped the web of her will around it. She must be stronger, smarter, wiser, and more protective. She thought of Noa.

"There is something else you seek."

"Yes," Liara said, hiding her real purpose behind genuine curiosity. "I admit I am…surprised and curious. How did you master this language?" She slowly began tightening the web. Under her still visage, a silent war raged. The orb wailed in her mind, a constant keening cry she must answer soon. She pushed it aside, focusing her will on the female yahg before her. First, she must bring her to heel.

The yahg's ruff quivered and Liara could sense her amusement. "Yes, I imagine that is a surprise. The delegation your Council sent arrived in a large ship…its..computers," she said the word as if it felt alien in her mouth, "held a wealth of information about the other species in the galaxy, and the Council."

When the web was as closely approximated as she could manage, she sent a thin tendril of her power seeping through it. The queen's explanation made sense. An integral part of diplomatic relations involved rapidly developing language translation protocols to facilitate communication. Every word uttered during their meetings would have been fed through the delegates omni's back to the ship's systems to develop such a protocol. "Yes, the ship's codex. Then you must know asari are known throughout the galaxy for peaceful diplomacy as well as our biotics."

"Yes," the queen replied. "Biotics…the result of exposure to an element known as eezo. I would be very interested in seeing this power manifest for myself."

"I will gladly provide a demonstration if you wish." Her will continued to leak into the web and she could feel a shift slowly occurring in the queen, but her efforts were stymied by the orb's influence over the yahg, a factor she had not foreseen. "But forgive me, to provide a worthy display I will require the assistance of my colleagues…and we carry a gift for you in our packs."

The female turned to one of her guards and issued a short, quick command. He tilted his head and departed, presumably to retrieve Noa, Aeian, and their bags. Goddess, she needed them here now…the orb was screaming…begging in a language only she could here.

"Are you unwell?" The question was pointed and sharp.

"No…I…" She took a slow steadying breath. "Pardon me, I am not certain how to address you."

"I am called Chanta Tef."

"Chanta Tef…thank you. No, I am not unwell, merely thirsty. The path to your door was long, and I am not acclimated to the heat." It was absolutely true, and she needed to test the link she'd established between them. "Might I have some water?"

Chanta Tef's quick call to the other guard quickly had her a stone bowl of cool water. She drank deeply, too distracted by the orb and too keenly aware of Chanta Tef's aura to derive any satisfaction from the small victory. She had just admitted a blatant weakness to a violent predator…and despite Chanta Tef's regal air, she was a predator to her marrow; Liara could feel it through the link like she could feel her own skin.

Boot heels sounded against the tiled floor behind her, but she did not turn. Instead she wordlessly handed the bowl back to the guard. When Noa appeared in the corner of her vision she internally sagged in relief, though outwardly she remained calm and poised as she addressed Chanta Tef. "I have brought you a powerful weapon. I admit, I do not know how it compares to those your guards carry, but I think you will find it useful in your attempts to thwart the salarians, should they appear again to take your young."

Beside her, she felt Noa stiffen and turned to her, nearly wincing at the large knotted bruise and crusted blood over her eye. "Noa…give Chanta Tef her gift." She caught Noa's eye briefly, simultaneously trying to convey her regret and begging her to quickly comply. Noa answered with a barely perceptible nod and knelt to unlash the revenant from her pack, along with a small satchel of thermal clips. Noa placed the weapon and the clips on the desk and when she turned, her expression clearly said she hoped Liara knew what the hell she was doing.

Chanta Tef picked up the rifle and sighted down its barrel at Aeian. "May I approach you Chanta Tef?" Liara said. She didn't wait for an answer, but stepped up to the yahg queen, placing her body between the yahg and Aeian as she demonstrated how to load the thermal clips. "I believe a small demonstration of the weapon's power may be help you to appreciate it more….it will also provide a worthy test of my biotics for the display you requested." She turned back to Aeian and Noa both of whom vacillated between trying to appear appropriately subservient, and looking at her as if she had lost her mind. She felt as if she had….the sphere was so close, goddess it sang to her, stripping away her reason…but she steeled her will. She could not succumb, not yet. Soon she must.

"What is this weapon called?" Chanta Tef said.

"It is called a revenant…it is a play on words…a revenant is a person who has returned from death."

Chanta Tef's ruff quivered, "An appropriate name then."

"Yes, it is." Taking Aeian and Noa each by an arm, she led them to the side the dais closest to the orb, placing them as near it as she could. She fought to keep her feet from carrying her directly to it. Noa, having seen her near one of the artifacts before, offered her a sympathetic look that was nearly her undoing. She turned back to Chanta Tef.

"Biotic skill can be used for many things. One of its primary uses is as a kinetic barrier to prevent personal injury on the field of battle." She gestured to Aeian, "My colleague and I will create a biotic barrier around ourselves and the human. All you will need to do is fire at us until the clip becomes saturated with heat."

"And if your barriers fail?" Chanta Tef said, rising from her chair. Though smaller than the males, she was still tall and towered over them. The revenant fit her hand like a submachine gun and she hefted it as if it weighed nothing.

"Then we will die, Chanta Tef. It is on these grounds that I judge this a worthy test of my strength."

"You are either very brave, or very foolish," the yahg said. "We will know soon enough."

"Liara…goddess fuck you better know what you're doing," Aeian muttered under her breath, lifting her arms in preparation as Chanta Tef raised the weapon.

Aeian stood on one side of Noa, and Liara on the other side…the side closest to the orb, whose contents had begun to swirl more rapidly as if sensing her presence. Noa had said her contact with the previous orb appeared to be instantaneous, even though it had felt like several long minutes to her. She prayed to the Goddess it was the same this time. If not, they were dead….they may very well be dead anyway, but she could see no other way than this charade to get Noa, Aeian, and their gear all together in one place in close proximity to the sphere. She had a hold on the yahg, but so did the orb, and she worried that had she blatantly tried to control her from the offing her attempt would either have totally failed or her intent would have been immediately detected by the astute queen. Either would have resulted in swift death, of that she was certain.

Summoning every bit of power she could muster, she raised her own arms and nodded at Aeian. A biotic bubble snapped into place around the trio and Chanta Tef opened fire. As the first spray smacked against the barrier, Liara turned to Noa, "Call Garrus…call him now!"

Noa's omni sprang to life and Chanta Tef, sensing something was amiss, concentrated her fire at Noa. Liara could feel the rounds hammering into the shield as she screamed at Aeain, "Shift….shift left…the orb!"

Anticipating her intent, Aeian had already began easing to her left side, pushing the barrier in her wake. Keeping her shield firmly linked with Aeian's, Liara moved until the shield covered the pedestal, where the orb had begun to glow a bright, steady violet. Gritting her teeth, she maintained her section of the shield with one hand, and slammed her other on the orb.

She fell inward.

_We are A'than. The cycle must continue. I am Levi'athan. The cycle must end. _Images, ghastly and gripping flew into her, searing her mind until she thought she would scream. The world, the solidity of her existence, was razed to nothing, burned to ash, and rebuilt on a sliver of hope and chance so thin it was almost nonexistent. She clung to it and let it lift her. The images flew into her mind with an unprecedented urgency, and she knew, without understanding _how _she knew, that what she was seeing was much more recent, as if Levi'athan was guiding her along an arc through time and this orb carried the next stop along the path. Cycle. Harvest. Reapers. Intelligence. Relays. Conduit. Citadel. Citadel. _Goddess!_

She burst outward.

Pointblank rounds hammered the shield and her eyes snapped forward to their source. Sliding her will along the mental web connecting her to Chanta Tef, she cinched it tight, no longer competing with the orb for mastery over her. The rounds stopped and a heavy silence fell, broken only by Chanta Tef's sharp gasp as Liara forced her to submit. From the corner of her eye she saw Noa slide an arm over Aeian's shoulder but her eyes never left Chanta Tefs's; they were not yet out of danger. Her guards now stood behind her on the dais, their expressions lethal and uncertain but they would make no move without their leader's permission and no one visibly touched her, or threatened her. In fact, as Liara's influence increased, the tall female grew more relaxed and at ease with each passing moment.

Liara spoke softly, her voice for the yahg queen alone. "You do not want to appear weak before your people. I will make you an offer, and you will accept it." She lifted her voice, "It is a powerful rifle, Chanta Tef. I am willing to offer you this one and more in exchange for this strange sphere." Gripping the now black sphere in her hand Liara lifted it.

"I accept your offer, Liara T'Soni," Chanta Tef said, her voice measured and level. Behind her the guards relaxed and moved closer.

A memory from the orb flickered to life in her mind. In response, she stretched the web, expanding her sphere of influence as she would a biotic barrier and ensnaring the guards that flanked the queen. She felt her power…understood it, even as she wrestled with the implications of it.

She looked at the first guard. "My friends and I are expecting a shuttle, you will see that we reach it and that no harm befalls us. Take us outside." She turned to the second guard, "You will remain here with Chanta Tef; your voice will confirm a bargain fairly struck if her decision is called into question." She truly did not want to disrupt the balance of power in this place; she had only come for the orb and the knowledge it contained. Now that she had it, she felt compelled to do what she could to ensure stability for the female. Before Liara closed the loop around her, Chanta Tef's aura had vibrated with a fierce need to protect her people. Even in her capitulation there was a sense that her now willing servitude was for the benefit of the settlement.

She did not know if the guards understood her words, but it did not matter. It was her will to which they responded, and it required no language to understand. She could feel them, and they could feel her. Driven by the need to protect Noa and Aeian, her will was an implacable force. They had no choice but to respond to it. She shuddered as she realized they didn't want a choice…completely ensnared, they were willingly hers. A corner of her mind reveled in the feel of their will snapping like twigs, and from this part, she hid. She felt…alive with power, filled to the brim with it. These yahg were hers, to do with as she chose. If she asked them to kneel, they would kneel. If she bade them kill one another, they would…without hesitation...It was a sobering realization. _Goddess, let me choose wisely. _

The first guard turned and led them to a door at rear of the room. It opened to an elevated walkway like the one on which they had first entered the building.

Noa's omni flickered to life, "Garrus…east side…tallest building…now."

Within minutes, the shuttle, with the door open to receive them, pulled into position alongside the walkway. In the street below, several yahg clustered together watching, but turned away when they saw Chanta Tef's guard assist them into the hovering craft. Before the door was fully sealed, Garrus was speeding away.

Noa's grin was stunning as her strong arms wrapped around her, "That was the most insanely brilliant thing I have ever seen!"

"Double the insane part, and yeah….holy shit, Liara…that was amazing," Aeian agreed.

Safely anchored against Noa's reassuring warmth, she began to tremble violently. "Goddess…Noa, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't have a plan…I…I made it up as I went along. A thousand things could have gone wrong; I could have gotten you killed." She turned her head against Noa's shoulder so she could see Aeian. "What I did was nothing compared to the way you both anticipated everything.…Aeian your shielding was incredible. Thank you for trusting me…for protecting us." She leaned back and looked at the broken skin over Noa's eye. " I hurt you…again. Goddess, I am so sorry."

In an uncharacteristic display of affection, Noa brushed her lips across Liara's brow, "It's okay…I'm fine, you're unhurt…" She leaned back, brow furrowing as she studied Liara's face. "You aren't hurt right?"

"No," she said quietly. "I am not, but I…" The images from the sphere ripped through her head and her growing power loomed heavy in her chest. With every orb she touched it grew exponentially. "I have a great deal to think about…and plan."

From the pilot's seat, she overheard Garrus contacted their orbiting ship advising James and Sam they were inbound. There was a pregnant pause and a moment later, he looked back over his shoulder. "While you were on the surface, Sam heard from Sha'ira. She is en route to Horizon… Benezia and Aethyta are with her." His tone was grim.

Liara twisted free from Noa's arms and moved toward the front of the shuttle. "What is it…what are you not saying?"

Garrus didn't quite meet her gaze. "Uh, Benezia is…she's really sick, Liara."

"Fly faster, Garrus," she whispered softly.

.


	23. Chapter 23 Like Mother

**Like Mother…**

* * *

Liara burst through the elevator doors at a sprint, nearly careening headfirst into Jeeves in her haste. "Jeeves…where are they? Where is my mother?"

Though they'd pushed the small ship to its limits, the return trip from Parnack had crept by and the trio of matriarchs had reached Noa's compound a full two days before them. Noa had called ahead and spoken with Jeeves, advising him to see to their comfort until their party arrived, but other than knowing that they were there, Liara had no idea in what condition she would find her parents. She had been too afraid to ask, too overwhelmed and anxious by the enormity of her pending reunion with her mother. She needed to see for herself that they were both well and whole.

"The Matriarch Aethtya has asked to speak with you before you visit the Matriarch Benezia. She is awaiting you in the den," Jeeves replied calmly.

"But…why?" Biting back an oath…Aeian's influence was wearing on her…she raced down the hallway. Behind her she could hear Noa offer Jeeves a quick hello and the sound of her footsteps as she jogged to catch up.

She turned the corner and strode under the arched entry to the den, her eyes immediately jumping to Aethyta's form slumped at the bar. "Father!" She rapidly closed the distance, her steps slowing then stopping when she realized Aethya was asleep with her head resting against her forearm. She looked….beyond exhausted. She was thinner and dark shadows ringed her eyes. Even in sleep, a furrow of worry lined her brow.

"Father?" she placed a hand gently against Aethyta's shoulder. The matriarch responded as if she'd been attacked; her head flew up and snaking tendrils of dark energy wreathed her arms as she reared to address the perceived threat. Recognition flashed in her tired eyes and her biotics died as quickly as they'd appeared.

"Little Wing…goddess damn it to hell," she scrubbed a hand over her face and sighed heavily. "It's good to see you safe, kid."

Liara wrapped her arms around Aethyta's shoulders. She felt small in her arms and a worried frown furrowed her brow. "It is good to see you, too," she replied softly. She slowly released her and stepped back. "What happened? Where have you been all this time? Where is Benezia?"

Aethyta's eyes looked past her to Noa and Aeian. "Damn…look at that. There was a human under all that hair…and not a bad looking one."

"Hey Aethyta," Noa self consciously ran the fingers of one hand through her wavy locks. "Yeah….it seemed like a thing to do, so…"

Aethyta smirked, "It didn't help."

Noa colored, "I…uh, I'm not sure if it did or not, actually."

"No…I can confirm it did not," Aeian laughed and clapped a hand on Noa's shoulder.

Liara studied their faces, not entirely certain what they were discussing but too distracted by Aethyta's evasion to care. "Father…we can discuss Noa's hair later…after you tell me what is going on."

Aethtya's face fell. Instead of answering immediately she moved to the back of the bar and placed three glasses on its surface, filling each with a healthy portion of elasa. "Noveria….damn." She eyed Noa, "We made it past security without a hitch thanks to Shines-through-clear-waters and that human…what was her name?"

"Who?" Noa said.

"That's what I'm asking you…what was the human's name?"

"Gianna…Gianna Parasini," Noa said, "but who else helped you?"

"The hanar, you fool…I already told you."

"Opold? The merchant?"

Aethyta rolled her eyes, "Goddess damn it kid, when you cut your hair did you lose your brains, too? Yes…Opold…Shines-through-clear-waters…the hanar." She lifted her glass and eyed Noa over its rim. "He paid thirty percent more than your asking price for whatever the hell it was you packed in those crates."

Liara was not interested in the selling price of artifacts. "Father!" she stomped her foot not caring that it seemed petulant. "Please, get on with it!"

Aethyta's answering grumble echoed through her raised glass. "Be patient; I'm getting there." Her shoulders slumped as she set her glass on the bar. "We abducted Benezia in the valley as planned, but her acolytes…damn it, I tried to save them but I couldn't." The furrow in Aethyta's brow deepened as she stared solemnly down into her glass. "Noveria is…cold."

"I am so sorry father," she said softly.

"They were beyond reasoning with," Aethyta continued. "They fought tooth and nail to keep us from getting Nezzie and your mother…well, let's just say she didn't come quietly." She paused. "After that we got the hell out of there. Nezzie was in no shape to go anywhere near people. Fortunately, Tela had the location of an abandoned mining camp on Eletania…goddess, what a cluster fuck that was. The damn place was overrun with pyjacks, and we had to stay sealed in the mine to avoid the atmosphere."

"Why did you not remain aboard the ship?"

Aethyta's eyes grew haunted. "Because we had to keep Benezia confined and she had more room in the mining tunnels. We were there…hell, I don't even remember for how long before the geth showed up."

Liara's eyes widened with alarm."Were they sent by Saren? How did they track you?"

"Believe it or not, it was pure chance." Aethyta's laughter was brittle. The SA had a downed recon probe on the surface and the geth were searching for its data module. You should have seen us, Liara…we were in the back of the mine minding our own business when geth started pouring into the tunnel…chasing a pyjack of all things. They were trying to corner it because it had the damn communication module from the SA probe clenched in its teeth. Of course then all the pyjacks started screeching like their damn tails were on fire…"

"How did you even know what was going on?" Aeian said.

"This is where it gets _really _interesting. We were hiding in the dark behind a bunch of mining equipment…not my first choice… but with Nezzie…well…Anyway, Nezzie was struggling to break free so we had to restrain her and put her in a damn crate. The geth were shooting, pyjacks were screeching…and the goddess damn human Spectre shows up with her merry little squad of dickish Alliance support. They take out the geth, and then the _Spectre_ starts chasing the damn pyjack…" She paused, her expression thoughtful. "I've gotta say, that human has a knack for swearing…I think I may have even blushed a time or two while she tried to catch that damn thing. And then, to beat all, the goddess damn pyjack heads straight for the corner we're hiding in."

"What did you do?"

"I snatched the damn comm module from it's nasty little teeth and chucked it back out into the open, that's what…that's how I knew what it was…well, that and the snippets of conversation we overheard."

"Did the Spectre see you?" Liara said

"No…and it's a damn good thing. Tela would have had a hell of a time explaining to the Council's newest recruit why she was hiding in a mine on Eletania with a matriarch who is a known associate of Saren's and wanted for questioning by the Council. But no…they were so distracted they never knew we were there." Her slim shoulders rose and fell. "Heh…seems kind of funny now.

After that, we went to Tuchanka and stayed there until we were more confident Nezzie was safe." Aethyta sighed, "That ship…Saren's ship did something to her, Little Wing. All she wants to do is go back to it, and to Saren."

An icy spike of fear stabbed Liara's chest. "That's no ship, father…it's a reaper." While Aethyta refilled her glass she began telling her about everything that had transpired during her absence….strategically omitting their encounters with the vorcha and the yahg. She saw no point in worrying her further.

When she had finished, Aethtya stared up at her through dark eyes. "I feel like I've stepped out of reality and into some kind of damn vid." Aethyta said quietly. Liara understood the feeling well.

"Father…if mother is still under the influence of the reaper, I may be able to help her."

A light of hope flashed in Aethtya's eyes, but faded quickly, overshadowed by fear. "No…it's too dangerous. Nezzie is…well, she's not the same person she was before. She's dark, Liara. It's like something in her is broken."

Fury filled her and she struggled to push it aside. "Do not say that! I have been broken and mended. I have been lost, then found. There is always hope. I will _not_ abandon her, not if there is the smallest possibility I can succeed. I have been given a power that feels like no gift at all but a curse I must bear every moment of every day. If I cannot use it to help my own mother then…then…how I can possibly hope to save everyone else?"

She had seen in the last orb what was required of her. The task itself was simple; she need only do that for which she was made. The thought resonated with no small amount of trepidation. Yes, her ability was a gift, but experience had taught her its utilization was…enticing. She didn't fear it… she feared her own heart's desire for the power inherent in it. But the implications of failure were unthinkable. She was resigned; if using her gift led her to personal darkness then so be it. For the sake of stopping the reapers, she would let it consume her gladly and despair later. In her estimation, it was far better to lose herself than risk losing the people she had come to care so deeply for. She had found friends…family…Noa, and she would stop at nothing to save them all. Her mother's current condition was no different…and her own responsibilities no less.

A warm arm wrapped around her shoulder and Noa tucked her against her side. "Aethyta, I don't know what's wrong with Benezia, and if there is a risk to Liara…I can understand your concern. Mine mirrors it…but she's right; there is always hope…and she can do this. Your daughter is stronger than you give her credit for."

Aethyta looked deeply into her eyes for several long moments. "I know you're strong kid. I always knew you'd be special." Pushing herself away from the bar, she nodded. "Okay…she's on the ship." She offered her an apologetic look. "She's uh…actually in your little storage closet. Sha'ira is with her…outside the door. It was the only place we could put her that she couldn't obliterate with her biotics."

Liara's boot heels clicked rapidly against the metal floor of the frigate, her feet keeping time with the quick staccato beating of her heart. As she descended the ladder to the crew deck, a jagged, desperate scream drifted from the direction of engineering, followed by a ringing metallic thud. She skipped the last few rungs and sprinted toward the sound with Noa, Aethyta, and Aeian close at her heels.

_Goddess…_Sha'ira sat doubled over on crate outside the door of the closet, her head clenched in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

"Drishni…." She placed a hand on the consort's shoulder. "Drishni?" When she didn't respond it hit her…it was Sha'ira's gift…her empathic abilities. She was sharing Benezia's emotions. She fell to her knees in front of the matriarch. "Drishni…listen to me, this is not your burden to bear. Lay it down."

"Nithua?" Sha'ira raised her head and looked at her through glazed eyes as tears streamed unchecked down her cheeks. "I cannot block her. I have tried, but I cannot. Her agony is too great and we are too close." Sha'ira's lips peeled away from her teeth in a grimace of pain as a mournful wail drifted through the closed door.

Liara looked up at Aethya. Her father's face was a mask of agony, and Aeian gripped her hand. "Mother was worse before?"

Aethyta nodded, paling visibly as another biotic blast thumped against the bulkhead.

Grasping Sha'ira's face in her hands she forced the matriarch to meet her eyes. She would help her mother, but first, she had to help her drishni. "You must stop." The web spun so easily it was barely a thought before she wrapped Sha'ira's aura completely. Infusing it with her power, she tugged…gently. "Take slow deep breaths, drishni. Center yourself. Hear the sound of my voice and nothing else. Know my heart is filled with love for you…feel it surround you. I am here, and I will take care of mother, but you must stop now. Her pain is not your pain. Let it go."

Sha'ira's eyes slowly cleared and as they did, Liara lowered her hands, bringing them to rest on Sha'ira's knees. Sha'ira's lips curved in a soft, tired smile. "You have grown, nithua…and I am thankful. I could not stop on my own."

Liara glanced up at Aeian before turning her eyes back to Sha'ira's. "Mother is your ari…of course you could not." She could feel the vibrant purple of Sha'ira's aura quivering under her web. The consort's empathy was driving her to strengthen the connection, to reach out on her own and attempt to pull the web tighter. Liara was staggered by how much she wanted her, how light and lively Sha'ira's aura felt, how simple it would be to possess her. She quickly pulled back. "Do not tempt me, drishni.…like your gift, mine has hidden dangers….I have come to know them well."

"Yours is the purest heart I have ever touched, Liara. No one but you could wield the power you hold so your instincts." Wise eyes studied her face. "Your power has grown, and you along with it I see."

Another biotic blast shook the door, followed by a soul-wrenching scream that ripped through her and she blinked away tears. Now was not the time for crying. "We shall soon find out if it has grown enough, I think." Confident Sha'ira would be okay, she severed the connection between them…more reluctantly than she would have liked… and stood. "Will you stay? Mother may need you…after."

Sha'ira rose and brushed a kiss across her brow, "Of course I will." She hesitated, "Please be careful, Liara. Benezia is not as she was."

She nodded, her mouth suddenly dry with fear. "I will."

Sha'ira retreated to Aethyta's side leaving Liara standing semi-alone with Noa who studied her face intently. _Goddess…those eyes… _She could spend a lifetime looking into them and trying to unravel the endless and intriguing mystery of the woman before her.

Noa reached out to gently touch her face, "Please be careful."

Not caring that the others were there, she lunged into Noa's arms, her breath shuddering as they wrapped around her and held her tight. She needed her, needed the solid steadiness of her. She needed her warmth and her light before facing the darkness consuming her mother.

Noa leaned back just enough to rest their foreheads together. "You can do this, Liara T'Soni. I'll be right here…right here outside the door if you need me."

Reaching up, Liara cupped Noa's face in her hands and leaning in, lightly brushed Noa's lips with her own, breathing in Noa's soft sigh. "Thank you." Stepping away she turned and grasped the handle on the door, nodding to Aethyta that she was ready for her to free the lock. Her eyes found Noa's "Close it behind me quickly…and do not follow."

The lever vibrated against her palm as the lock disengaged. Taking one final deep breath, she opened the door just wide enough to slide through and slipped inside. The door had no sooner closed behind her than a biotic orb caught her squarely on the chest, knocking her backwards. She fell, cursing herself for not blocking it as she struggled to her feet then nearly fell again when she saw Benezia. _Oh Goddess…mother…what has happened to you?_

Benezia stood in the deepest corner of the room, her frail chest rising and falling as her lungs pumped her breath in and out in harsh, rattling wheezes. Her ribs stood out against the thin material of a torn dress that hung limply on her emaciated frame. The sleeves were tattered, and deeply furrowed scratches covered her arms and neck. She looked like a skeleton, the angles and bony protrusions of skin slapped over bone, and her eyes were spiked pits of anger, desolation and despair. Liara bit back a sob as her heart shattered.

"Have you come to take me to him?" Benezia's voice was a low growl sliding through her ravaged throat. Hope flickered briefly in her eyes as she gazed at Liara. "Please..he_ needs_ me…I must go to him."

She shook her head, "Mother it is me…Liara.…I have come to help you."

"Liara?" Benezia's large eyes blinking rapidly as if trying to focus.

"Yes, mother…it is me." She slowly inched forward.

"No!" Benezia screeched. A brief flash was Liara's only warning as another biotic field was hurled toward her. She shielded, the field striking so hard it caused her to stagger back.

"Mother, please…I will not hurt you…let me help you."

Benezia roared and reached back to throw again but Liara was quicker. Her hands flew forward and she wrapped a field around Benezia, locking her into place. Benezia struggled against it but in her weakened state, her strength was no match for Liara's. She screamed again, a sound full of anger and anguish. "Release me!"

"I will…soon, mother. I promise." Liara choked the words out as she closed the distance between them. Aethyta and Sha'ira were right; she was not the same. The asari before her bore almost no resemblance to the Benezia she remembered. Her mother had been regal and wise…the embodiment of asari grace. She had been poised and powerful…the bated breath of a storm preparing to strike. Now, she was reduced to an animal, wild and half mad, literally growling through clenched teeth at her approach.

"I am here mother." She forced herself to look into Benezia's tortured eyes as she reached out with her mind in search of the thin, superficial skin of her mother's aura. She sensed the barest hint of it…then slammed into a wall. The resistance did not come from Benezia; she would have felt her pushing back. It originated from an inky black web wound tightly around her in layer upon impenetrable layer. A wave of revulsion washed through her when she felt its shape, nearly identical to her own…but malicious…barbed…wrong. She could feel the malignant taint of its spikes biting deeply into her mother's consciousness, poisoning her mind. _Goddess, this is what the reapers will do to everyone…this and worse. _She had to stop it.

She pushed forward with her own web, groaning in frustration as it fell away again and again, severed at the slightest mental contact with the reaper's black influence. She could not give up, her mother was in there…she could feel her locked away in the darkness. She took Benezia's face in her hands, leaning forward until their foreheads nearly touched, "Fight it mother!" she begged, her eyes boring into Benezia's. "Please fight! I am right here!"

In the recesses of her mother's eyes, recognition flickered. Under her hands, the tightly clenched muscles of Benezia's jaw went lax. "L..Little wing?"

Liara's head fell forward to touch her mothers as an anguished breath escaped her lips. "Yes mother…I am here now." She latched onto Benezia's flickering self-awareness like hanging from a cliff by one fingertip. It was all she needed. She dug in. "Forgive me mother."

Using the handhold Benezia had provided, she began mentally tearing away the black web, slowly unraveling it and replacing every pernicious thread with her own. It was agony. As if from a distance, she could hear Benezia screaming…a terror filled sound of pain as the barbs were yanked free from her consciousness and quickly shored by Liara's own web. It was like unraveling a heavy tapestry and reweaving it thread by thread.

She wanted to recoil from the horror of what she was doing, but could not. Her mind burned under the strain of holding back the reapers influence while slowly weaving her own into place. She could not falter…would not. Her mother…her mother who had loved her before she had drawn her first breath, her mother whose beautiful mind was the first she had ever touched, who had been the first to touch hers…her mother needed her and she desperately needed her mother. She would not sway, she would not bend, even when Benezia's screams weakened to mewling, piteous cries that raked like claws across her heart until she sobbed. Time passed…lost all meaning as she worked. She sobbed until her throat burned and her chest felt like an open wound and still she didn't stop until the last barb tore free. Dragging in a deep breath, she cinched her web tight, mentally pulling until it snapped into place. Gathering every bit of strength that she could, she flooded it with her own energy, burning away every loose and tattered shred of Sovereign's indoctrination.

Her knees struck the floor hard as she collapsed. "It is done," she gasped. "You are mine." Too drained to keep Benezia's biotic restraints in place, the field around her mother evaporated and Benezia lurched sideways, slumping onto the nearby cot.

"Little wing…Liara…." Benezia's voice was a hoarse whisper as she reached out for her. Ignoring her aching knees, Liara crawled to her side and rested her head on her mother's knee.

That door opened several minutes later and her eyes opened, heavy lids blinking at Aethyta and Noa as they rushed into the room. Their expressions were nearly comical as they looked from her to Benezia, clearly unsure what to expect or do. Both relaxed a fraction as she lifted her head from Benezia's knee to look up at them.

Aethyta swiped her palms across her abdomen, smoothing her leathers. "Um…it got quiet," she said, explaining their abrupt entrance.

The sound of Aethyta's voice broke Noa's trance of uncertainty and she rushed forward to kneel at Liara's side. "Hey you," she said softly. "Are you okay?" Noa's eyes were tight, her skin pale. "For a while it sounded like two cats fighting to the death in here."

She managed a shaky smile, making a mental note to inquire about exactly what a cat was later. "I am exhausted but yes…I am well."

"Athame's tits, kid…did it work?" Aethyta gestured to Benezia, who laid slumped on her side on the cot, her eyes closed and her expression peaceful.

Liara gingerly sent a pulse of mental energy along the web confirming what she already knew; Benezia's mind was wounded…but whole and untainted by the reaper. "Yes," she turned to Aethyta, smiling. "Yes it did."

Aethyta smiled in return, even as her eyes filled with tears. She swiped a hand across her eyes once, twice, eventually giving up and burying her face in her hands, her slim shoulders shaking as she cried.

Bracing one hand on the edge of the cot, Liara pushed herself to her feet and went to her father, wrapping tired arms around her to hold her close.

"I never thought…I thought she would never be okay again, Liara," Aethyta murmured against her shoulder. "I thought we would never all be together again. Everything I want…everything I have ever wanted…is right here…in this tiny little shit hole of a room."

Aeian and Sha'ira cautiously entered the cramped space as Liara's eyes found Noa's. They shimmered brightly in the dim light, wet with her own unshed tears as she watched them. "Me too father," she said softly. "Me too."

Benezia stirred on the cot, and Liara rushed to her side. Aethyta's hand touched her shoulder. "Will she recover fully?"

"I do not know. What the reaper did to her was…foul beyond words. I was able to remove Sovereign's influence but…I cannot undo any damage she might have suffered as a result."

"That you were able to touch it at all is astounding, Nithua…and she is at peace. A peace like I have never felt…how did you do it?"

She tugged nervously at the hem of her tunic and turned to Sha'ira. "By…by replacing the reaper's influece with my own," she confessed. "It is only temporary…and will not harm her, but it is…goddess, it is exactly the same as what the Soveriegn did, drishni." Just the thought made her stomach turn.

"That's a load of crap, kid," Aethyta said, her voice sharp. "You saw how she was before…there is nothing about what you are doing that is even remotely the same, you hear me?"

She nodded, but the doubt remained. Noa's fingers found hers, linking them together. "We should get her inside…into a real bed where she can sleep comfortably and recover."

"Yes," Liara said. "But I cannot leave her…not yet." It wasn't exactly true. She could tie off her web and leave it in place, but she didn't want to leave her. She needed to keep feeling the connection between them. She hadn't truly realized how desperately she had missed her.

"That's no problem…you look like you could use some sleep, too," Noa said. "We'll put her in your room and you can stay with her."

Moving carefully, Aethyta slid her arms under Benezia's knees and behind her shoulders, lifting her as if she weighed nothing and cradling her against her chest. "Let's go."


	24. Chapter 24 Like Daughter

**Like Daughter…**

* * *

Liara dreamt she was in a field of eilis flowers. The broad blossoms shifted in the breeze with their bright yellow faces turned to the sun. They were the most common wild flower on Thessia, able to grow nearly anywhere, and had always been her mothers favorite. Benezia had always told her…

…_eilis flowers are like asari; graceful, tenacious, and beautiful…regardless of the setting in which they grow._ Benezia's warmth filled her.

_Mother! _Not a dream…a meld, whether initiated by her or her mother, or as the result of the their continued link she didn't know, or care. Like a flower turning to the sun, she turned to Benezia, pulling her in and basking in a radiance that was hers alone. _Mother, I have missed you so! _

_And I have missed you, my Little Wing. _

There was so much she wanted to say. She had so many questions they all jumbled together in a confusing mass as she tried to think them all at once. Her mother's affectionate amusement coursed through the meld. _Be easy, daughter. Thanks to you, there is time to answer them all and I will…in time._

_Mother… I am sorry for hurting you. _She would bear scars herself, from her mother's wounds that she had torn open. No action, even when benevolent, occurs without consequence or cost. For her it had been agonizing…for her mother it must have been like torture.

_I am grateful. Do not apologize, Liara…or regret. You did what needed to be done and I am very proud of you._

She wanted to ask about Saren and Sovereign…Shiala and her mother's other acolytes, but she did not. The wounds were too fresh, too raw and sore. She could feel the impenetrable shroud of Benezia's mental barrier walling off many of her emotions, but did not approach or touch it. She knew the pain and devastation it hid and lamented her inability to remove it from Benezia as she had the reaper's influence.

_Grief and guilt must be born, Little Wing. Yes, it hurts, but it would hurt me more to not have it. Sometimes we need to hurt to heal._

She understood well what Benezia meant, and sent waves of love and acceptance to her mother for the trials she knew her healing would bring.

_Now… I have missed a great deal my love. Show me…show me what has transpired in my absence. _

Liara opened herself completely, reveling in the achingly familiar and deft touch of her mother's mind as Benezia peered into her thoughts and memories. She held nothing back, her loneliness, her desolation, her sense of searching but never finding, her pride, her vanity, her fear, the dark pull of her ability and her delight in wielding it, the first time she met Noa, her deep love and respect for Aeian, discovering Aethyta was her father…she gave everything to Benezia freely, like shedding her skin and to emerge fresh and whole.

Asari shared many melds in their lifetimes, but none was as strong or necessary as the link between mother and daughter. It was a connection typically forged over centuries of contact. For Liara, who had not lived centuries, and who had been without her mother for most of her life, the need was especially great. After stumbling alone in the dark for so long, doubting herself and her mother's affection, she desperately needed Benezia's guidance and love. She could feel it surrounding her, lifting her up. She sensed her mother's pride in her accomplishments, her deep satisfaction with Aeian as her ari, her respect for Noa's oath, her regret for her own absence, her confirmation of the prophecy and her fear of what it meant, her surprise and concern that Liara had not taken a lover.

_You love this human…why have you not claimed her as your lia'nan? _Liara's sudden shock was trailed by Benezia's amusement drifting through the meld._ You truly did not know? Your thoughts dwell more on her than even the prophecy…or your father's lamentable swearing._

_I…I had not thought of it. _That much was true. She had never stopped to question the nature of her feelings for Noa. They simply were, as if they had always been. Like a ring, they had no discernible beginning and no end; their meeting was simply the point at which she had stepped into the loop. _Goddess yes… I love her. I love her so much I ache with it, until I can sometimes see nothing but her. I can feel when she enters a room as if we are connected by an invisible cord that strums when she is near, but…it is complicated. _

_Love is as simple as breathing…and as necessary. Do not fear your desire for her, Little Wing, embrace it. If you do not, she cannot. _

Unbidden, her mind jumped back to the night of the storm, and shame filled her. A sudden wave of warmth and acceptance engulfed her, so bright and beautiful it stole her breath.

_Little Wing…your age and inexperience have led you to believe there is something inherently wrong with the nature of your feelings for Noa…it is not true. Of course you want to possess her. This is the way of love, especially for a maiden. It is fierce and bold. This is as it should be. _

_But mother I…I worry my power clouds my judgment. _

_Liara, when you stand facing the sun, what falls behind you?_

She remembered her mother asking her this same question years ago, but she hadn't understood why she had asked it or what she was trying to teach her. _A shadow, mother. _

_And when you stand facing the shadow, what shines upon you? _

_The sun…_Understanding rang like a bell. It was about balance. Light and shadow, love and pain, hurt and healing, betrayal and forgiveness…one could not exist without the other, or if it did, it was only a pale comparison.

_I had many lia'nan before I met your father, but she was the only one with whom I bonded. Do you know why?_

She thought of the meld she had shared with Aethtya, and water and stone._ Because she is your perfect balance. The light to your shadow, as you are the light to hers. _

_Yes, and if this Noa Shepard cares for you as you do for her it will be the same. _A profound sadness seeped from Benezia and it was Liara's turn to offer comfort.

_Father still loves you deeply. _

Benezia's reaction was an odd mixture of emotions. Her mother accepted the statement as a matter of fact, so confident in their love for one another she couldn't fathom a world in which Aethyta did not love her, or she Aethyta. She sensed an appreciative recognition that Aethyta was her match in every way, but that she had failed to uphold her end of the bargain. _Yes… I think it might be a while before I am worthy of her love again. _

_You could buy it with Ryncol, I think… _

_Goddess, is she still drinking that wretched beverage? _

_You weren't supposed to hear that…but yes… _

_Can you forgive me, Little Wing? _The thought was sudden, yet so small she could barely sense it. As if her mother was afraid to even think it. She could feel the turmoil roiling behind the question, barely checked and understood Benezia was not asking if she could forgive her for joining Saren…she was asking if Liara could forgive her for leaving her…for years of feeling unloved and unworthy…for all the slights and struggles she had faced as the daughter of two asari…and for being made to face it all alone.

She thought of her parents and all they had given her. She was a perfect blend of both of them…Benezia's iron strength and cool equanimity tempered by Aethyta's adaptability and fiery temper. She wouldn't be who she was without them or without her experiences, as hard as they had been. Benezia and Aethyta had sacrificed…everything…for her. She could not imagine a single day passing in which Noa was not present but her parents had been apart for one hundred and six years so that she would be safe. Her mother had followed Saren into a black abyss on the slim chance that she could gain more knowledge of the protheans…just to help her. She was a product of the greatest, most abiding love she had ever known…she was a part of them, and they were part of her.

She took all the love and pride, all the emotions that ran so deeply they defied naming and fed it not just through the meld, but into the web that still connected her to Benezia…cocooning her in the wonder of it and letting it fill her. _There is nothing to forgive, mother. I understand…I know who I am…and I am more than I thought. _

Her mother's love, and her calm acceptance and pride washed over her like a benediction. _Just so, Little Wing. Just so. _


	25. Chapter 25 Inertia

**A/N **Special thanks to OwelPost who was kind enough to beta for me. [^^^^^] This is your crown for being the Queen of Awesomeness! (any resemblance to a two handed saw is entirely coincidental)

Just one chapter this time around, but it's a doozy. Enjoy!

Also, thanks for all the faves/follows/reviews/support!

**Inertia**

* * *

Aeian's hand, pressed firmly against the small of her back, propelled her up the stairs. "Don't argue ari. You need to eat…and Aethyta and Benezia need some privacy."

"Yes, but I…"

"Uh-uh, that definitely sounds like the beginning of an argument," Aeian chided, pushing her relentlessly forward.

Liara reluctantly yielded, brushing Aeian's hand away and climbing the stairs to the main level. She _was_ hungry. It was nearly evening and she hadn't eaten anything since…she couldn't actually remember the last time she'd eaten. The previous day, when Aethyta had carried Benezia to her room, she had collapsed on the bed beside her mother and fallen asleep almost instantly. They had both slept the rest of the day and through the night and she had finally severed the connection between them in the early hours of the morning, confident no fragment of the reaper's influence remained.

Aethyta had come in earlier with a tray for both of them, but she had again been uninterested in food, content to just watch her parents interact with one another. When Benezia fell asleep again soon after eating, Aethyta left but she had stayed, applying medi-gel to Benezia's arms while she slept, then napping again herself until Aeian had finally come and dragged her out of the room.

Since freeing her mother she felt…clean and whole in a way she hadn't for a very long time. She'd finally used her power, of her own accord, for something good and though she couldn't deny the tantalizing allure inherent in her gift, she didn't need to succumb to it.

As she stepped onto the main level she scanned the living room. "Where is everyone?'

"Sam and Vega went back to Horizon this morning. They said to tell you bye, by the way. Sha'ira is topside, meditating and Garrus is checking the calibrations on the perimeter defense grid turrets," she shook her head lightly. "That turian has an unhealthy obsession with calibrations."

"And Noa?" The question came out as a rushed whisper. Since the meld with her mother, she wasn't certain she was ready to see her. Loving someone was one thing. Discovering that love was something altogether different.

"She's in the lab." Aeian gave her a knowing smirk, "We can probably eat down there if you…"

"No," she said quickly. Too quickly, because Aeian laughed. "No we can eat up here."

They entered the kitchen where Jeeves already had plates of cheese, fruit, and bread waiting for them. As they sat, the mech placed tall glasses of sparkling juice next to their plates and retreated with his usual bow.

"So spill it. What's up with you two anyway?" Aeian said, peeling the rind from a wedge of cheese.

"I am not certain what you mean," she lied.

"I mean things seem to have…smoothed out between you, right? I think that kiss on Parnack came closer to knocking Noa out than hitting her head against the bars." Liara's cheeks heated at the memory. "And you're both always…near."

"What do you mean…near?" She popped a grape in her mouth.

"You're joking, right? Liara, anytime you two are in the same room together, you're right next to each other. I'm not even sure it's intentional, but it happens regardless. You're into her, she's into you…what are you waiting for?"

She sat perfectly still for a moment, weighing her response. "Perhaps for a non-hostile environment with no yahg, or vorcha…or a time when we are both free of injuries…or insect bites, and exhaustion." Her hands made agitated waves in the air. "A time when I am not…communing with ancient artifacts…or a time when I am not so…so…afraid."

"What are you afraid of, ari?"

She buried her face in her hand. "I love her, Aeian."

"I know you do, Liara."

Her head jerked up and she picked up a grape and threw it at Aeian's head, "If you knew then why did you not tell me? Surely you understand…you and Markus…"

"No," Aeian shook her head. "I don't love Markus. Don't get me wrong; he's a really great guy, the sex is incredible, and I do care for him deeply. But I don't love him. I don't think I've ever loved anyone the way you love Noa. I'm much too young to settle down, ari…but you, you've come a long way, but you're still like a little matriarch." She shrugged. "Besides, when I do choose a bond mate, I want it to be another asari. Do you have any idea how lucky you are to have both your parents? When I have daughters they are all going to be full asari…screw that whole diversity bullshit. I am going to populate House T'Goni with so many pure asari daughters no one from the high houses will dare to use the term pureblood as a slander."

"I…I was not aware you felt so strongly about it, Aeian."

"I knew from the moment I put those flowers around your neck I would do everything within my power to stop anyone from treating another kid that way. " Aeian shrugged lightly, "And look at you…you're beautiful, strong, intelligent…who wouldn't want to have daughters like you?"

She blushed at Aeian's praise, "You are all of those things as well, ari. Whoever wins your heart will have won a rare treasure indeed."

"Damn right," Aeian said, laughing softly. "Before we met…officially met…I hoped it would be you, but now… no offense, it's just creepy to even think about." Aeian pinned her with a sultry stare. "Not because you aren't dead sexy, because you are, but you're more like what I imagine a sister would be…annoying, intrusive…"

"I am going to assume 'dead' sexy is a compliment and not a statement regarding necrosis or putrefaction." Liara hit her squarely between the eyes with another grape. "Have you considered potential mates?"

Aeian scowled and shuddered. "Goddess no! Like I said, I'm too young. I _like _being a maiden, Liara. But I do know this, if anyone looked at me the way Noa looks at you, I wouldn't be sitting in the kitchen throwing fruit. In case you haven't noticed, there are no hostiles here…"

"Are you sure Aethyta doesn't fit that category?" Noa strode into the room and crossed to the refrigerator. Liara's eyes followed her helplessly. "Something tells me she can be pretty damn hostile if agitated."

"Hey Noa," Aeain said easily. "Yeah, Aethtya's temper is legend but you'll never find a more loyal friend."

Noa reached into the refrigerator and brought out a bottle of water, bumping the door closed with her hip as she opened it. "How is Benezia, Liara?"

She slowly released the breath she had been holding, uncertain how much of Aeian's comment she might had heard, but Noa appeared entirely nonplussed. "She is recovering. Father is with her right now trying to get her to eat some more."

Noa approached the stool on which she sat, "I had Jeeves order some eezo rich foods for her; she may tolerate dietary sources of eezo better than supplements. I also put a call out to a doctor at the main colony, Karin Chakwas. She's a retired Alliance medical officer and familiar with asari physiology." Liara started to protest but Noa held up her hand. "She can be trusted. I've known her for several years and she's come here to patch me up more than a few times. The tentative plan is for Sam to collect her and bring her back here tomorrow." Noa's leaned against the center island, her eyes drifting to Liara's largely untouched plate. "You should eat more, too Liara."

"That's what I told her," Aeian said, rising to clear her dishes. "But I'm not having any luck convincing her. I'm going to go check on Sha'ira…maybe you can stay and see that she eats?" As Aeian circled behind Noa's back to deposit her dishes in the sink, she gave Liara a wicked, self-satisfied grin. Liara resisted the urge to glare as her heat suffused her cheeks.

"No problem," Noa said, turning as Aeian headed for the doorway. "Hey, make sure you mention to Sha'ira that Dr. Chakwas is going to be here. I don't know how long she was on the ship with Benezia like that but…she looked pretty rough herself. She may want to get checked out as well."

Mentally, Liara berated herself. She should have thought of eezo supplements and food and physicians, but she'd been too distracted by…everything else.

"I will," Aeian called over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner.

When she turned back to her, Noa's brows rose, "What?"

"Thank you, Noa…you are one of the kindest and most thoughtful people I have ever met." It was true. Her kindness and generosity were an integral part of her nature, as much a part of her as her bi-colored eyes and Liara, who had spent so many years focusing on herself, was humbled by it. True to form, Noa had taken charge, considered all the variables and implemented the necessary steps to ensure everyone's needs were met. She was a thinker and a natural leader who looked out for those around her as if they were family rather than colleagues and friends.

"Yeah, we'll see if you still feel that way after I've made you clean your plate," Noa said. Plucking a grape from the plate she held it up to Liara's lips. As her eyes flicked upward to meet Noa's a white hot flash of heat coursed through her.

_Goddess_…how could one simple and random gesture make her heart leap from its normal rate to frantically pounding against her chest? Cautiously, nails biting her legs through the thin material of her pants in an effort to keep her hands still, she accepted the fruit, chewing and swallowing automatically, tasting nothing. She nearly slumped in relief when Noa took a small step back, then fought frustration at the distance. She wanted her close…She wanted her.

"The…uh," Noa nervously licked her lips, "the bread is made from local grains. It's…uh, hearty."

Liara glanced down at the contents of the plate, certain that if she ate it, she would be physically ill. "I…I am certain it is delicious Noa, but I cannot…"

"Hey, it's okay… I understand," Noa said softly. "What you need is something to take your mind off everything,"

"Yes." _You, naked and on my bed. My hands against your skin. Our minds and bodies merged._

"So I downloaded the most recent Blasto movie…Blasto: The Jellyfish Stings," Noa said, smiling. "I thought we could watch it together in the den."

Her wayward thoughts ground to a screeching halt. _Goddess Liara…get it together…_ "That would be..lovely."

* * *

It was better than lovely she admitted, over two hours later, as Noa burst into laughter once more. They sat together on the sofa in the den. At some point, after plying her with an assortment of conspicuously healthy and according to Noa requisite-to movie-watching snacks, Noa had kicked off her shoes and stretched out, laying her legs across Liara's lap. She fought to suppress her own laughter as Blasto defeated the sniveling enemy pirate with a dispassionate cry of "Enkindle _this_ vorcha scum!"

As the final credits scrolled across the drop down vid-screen, Noa nudged her with her foot. "Thank you," she said, smiling widely. "That was awesomely cheesy. I have no idea how I missed out on Blasto before!"

"This one is pleased you found it entertaining," she replied, in her best imitation of a hanar voice.

"Did you just make a joke?" Noa toggled her omni and pretended to tap the haptic input. "On this day in history, for the first time ever, Liara, Priestess of Athame and preeminent heir of House T'Soni made a freaking joke."

"I am the _only_ T'Soni heir," she replied."There is no one to surpass."

"Semantics…you know what I mean," Noa replied as Jeeves entered and began quietly clearing away the remnants of their snacks. "Hey Jeeves…where the heck is everyone?"

He paused for a moment, the white light of his headlamp flickering briefly. "Mistress Aeian is in her quarters, the Matriarch's Aethtya and Benezia are in Mistress T'Soni's quarters, and Sha'ira is in Matriarch Aethyta's quarters…Lord Vakarian is in the lab."

"_Lord_ Vakarian?"

"Yes. Lord Vakarian registered this as his preferred informal address at 1347 Galactic Standard Hours."

"Christ..what's his formal address?"

"His Most Excellent Commander of Shakarian Security, the Great Lord Vakarian, Huzzah."

Noa palmed her forehead, "I bet he makes you say that every time you're alone, doesn't he?"

"Yes, Noa," Jeeves replied, his VI modulated voice somehow managing to sound pained by the admission. As Noa peered out at her from behind her fingers, she laughed; she could imagine Garrus preening at the title, imaginary as it was.

"See what I have to put up with from that guy?" Noa said, dropping her hand and folding it with her other across her abdomen. "What do you want to do now?"

After all the sleep she'd had, she wasn't the least bit tired. "Honestly…I had planned on showering, but it is late and I do not want to wake my parents."

"Use mine," Noa said. "Just follow the hall past the library and head up the steps. Help yourself to whatever you need."

"I…I…" The thought of showering in Noa's room was oddly enticing.

"Seriously…it's not a problem…and you've been in the same clothes since yesterday. Go. Shower," she commanded, sliding her feet to the floor and looked up at Jeeves. "Give her clearance, will you?"

"Of course, Noa."

_She needed security clearance? _She weighed her options. It was true she didn't want to wake anyone, but seeing the room in which Noa slept tipped the scales of the decision. "Alright…I will. Thank you."

* * *

Liara quickly climbed the steps to Noa's room, lured forward by the prospect of what lay beyond the wide hatch. She had been fascinated by the library for what it had revealed about Noa's personality, perhaps her bedroom would reveal more. Looking up at the door, she realized there was no control panel for access, but as she neared, the doors parted automatically. _That explains the need for clearance. _As she stepped through the doorway automatic lights flickered on and soft music began to play.

Noa's bedroom, like the library, was round, but unlike the library, where the book and art filled shelves gave the space an intimate, cluttered feel, her bedroom was wide and open and instead of bookshelves, floor to ceiling windows provided a breathtaking one hundred and eighty degree panorama of the surrounding mountains. The remaining wall space was bare, absent art, shelves, and personal items entirely. The room's most prominent feature was the bed at its center. It was massive, its frame made of heavily carved wood with four posts reaching toward the ceiling at each corner. Overhead, a wide, two-tiered chandelier hung down from the ceiling shedding triangles of light across thick white blankets. Her mouth watered at the thought of Noa sleeping there, tangled naked in the sheets. She shook her head…_Stay focused!_

Wrenching her eyes from the bed she turned away to explore the rest of the room. A low heavy dresser carved in the same style as the bed rested against the wall, it's honey gold surface as bare as the walls. Several paces to the left and right of the man door stood two other doors. She approached the one on the left. At the touch of her hand, the door opened to reveal a large closet. She walked in, running her fingers across an assortment of hanging clothes until she reached a tall shelf lined with an array of t-shirts, neatly folded and stacked. She selected the most worn shirt she could find, along with a pair of soft gray pants. Pointedly ignoring the lingerie chest, she exited the closet and headed for the other door and into the bathroom.

The whirlpool tub was tempting, but considering the late hour she stuck with the plan for a shower. Stripping out of her clothes, she dropped down the laundry chute and stepped into the shower, nearly jumping out of her skin when the jets powered on as soon as the door latched.

"Goddess!" The water was freezing. Fighting her way through the spray she found the control and adjusted the temperature, sighing in contentment as the water rapidly warmed. Her eyes landed on a slim round bottle nestled on a shelf and she picked it up…shampoo. She quickly flipped the lid open and squeezed the bottle lightly, testing its fragrance, smiling when she caught Noa's familiar scent…almost, but not quite the same. It was missing the undefinable and unique scent that belonged to Noa alone…but she still wanted it on her skin. Taking a sponge from the shelf, she tipped the bottle, poured a generous amount onto it and worked it into a rich lather before scrubbing her skin.

It was only after she was clean that she allowed herself to relax under the warm water. She had come so far since Aethyta's unexpected arrival on Nevos. The priestesses there would likely not even recognize her now. She looked the same of course…with the addition of the four scars over her hip… but she felt very different. She barely blinked at Aeian's and Aethyta's horrible language. She no longer viewed the merits of those around her, or herself, by their name, or title. She still meditated daily, but it was no longer from a sense of duty or doctrine but for her own personal spiritual peace. After weeks of training with Aeian, her biotics were stronger than ever and her confidence in her abilities had grown dramatically. Her power grew stronger with every orb she touched, and though it still frightened her, she was slowly beginning to trust herself. But the greatest and best change had been finally finding a true sense of belonging.

Aeian…her ari, who by virtue of her name, should be the most strict in her observance of formalities and conduct was instead the single most real and genuine asari she had ever known. She smiled to herself as she imagined them meeting at one estate or the other for the Janiris festival as matriarchs, like Benezia and Sha'ira had done for so many years.

Aethyta…the father she had never known and her mother were here, together. They had loved her and wanted her…loved her still and were proud of who she was. Goddess only knew what their future held considering her mother's recent actions, but she would personally ensure Benezia was viewed favorably. After years of sacrifice her parents deserved peace and happiness and she was determined to make sure they had it.

Then there was Noa…Noa Shepard who had become her center.

She leaned her forehead against the cool stone tile of the shower and sighed, shivering despite the hot water beating against her skin. Yes, she had come far, but she had no idea what her future held. In quiet, private moments such as this she could admit her terror…the numbing, paralytic fear was always present, lurking just under the surface. But she couldn't give in to it…couldn't even consider failure…because she could not imagine a galaxy in which Noa Shepard did not exist. She would do anything…give _everything_…to protect her.

Lifting her head from the shower wall she reluctantly turned off the jets and stepped into the neighboring drying tube. Once dry, she exited and dressed, smiling at the bold Shakarian Security splayed across her back. Leaving her feet bare, she prepared to leave, exiting into the bedroom and dimming the lights.

Her breath caught when a flash of lightning streaked across the night sky, illuminating angry clouds and luring her across the room to stare out the window at the swaying tops of the trees. Closing her eyes, she took a deep slow deep breath to ease the growing tightness in her chest…whether from fear or excitement she couldn't tell…but she could feel Noa's approach, though the door had yet to open. Opening her eyes, she turned to await her knowing this moment had been set in motion from the moment they'd met, and though delayed, it was as inevitable as the storm brewing outside.

The door slid open and Noa stepped through, pausing when she saw her. "I'm just going to grab some blankets from the closet. You can…"

"No." Her voice was so soft it barely carried across the room. "You are supposed to say 'it's beautiful isn't it?'" Lightning flashed outside, casting her shadow across the floor.

Noa's brow knit, "I am?" The corner of her mouth twitched up. "Nice shirt, by the way."

She slowly closed the distance between them, not pausing until she was close enough to feel the heat radiating from Noa's tanned skin. _Goddess…she is so warm. _"You are supposed to comment on the beauty of the storm." she whispered, eyes lifting to meet Noa's. "Those were your first words when you came into my room…before. I will agree and then we will discuss my biotics… our fears and families." Barely breathing, she lifted her hand, lightly touching Noa's cheek, hushed voice trembling, "After unbinding it, you will offer to let me touch your hair and when I do…goddess, when I do I will think it is the softest thing I have ever felt, and I will imagine it everywhere against my skin because even then I am already lost."

Noa stood as if rooted to the floor, her chest hitching with a sharply indrawn breath as trembling fingertips traced the curve of her jaw and slid around to tangle in the hair at her nape. "You will touch me, Noa, and when you do, my universe will shrink to contain nothing but the tips of your fingers." Noa's entire body trembled when Liara stepped into her, so close she could feel Noa's jagged breath quiver against her lips. "And when we kiss… I will feel alive and awake for the first time." She brushed her lips along Noa's cheek sliding them up to hover against her ear. "Noa…if you want me to stop please say so and…"

"Would you?" Noa asked, her voice a husky whisper. She made no move to touch her but tilted her head allowing Liara's lips to slide along her neck, gasping softly as they did. "If I asked you to stop…would you?"

She stilled as much as she was able though her entire body trembled with need. The scent of Noa's skin and its softness against her lips made thinking difficult. She did not want to stop. She wanted to claim…to possess…to strip Noa of clothing and reason until she was as bare and vulnerable as she felt herself. Noa had become everything…and she wanted to take all she had to offer and more.

Ashamed, she backed away abruptly. For all that she wanted and needed, for all her eagerness to take…she wanted to give Noa whatever she needed more. If that was space…and time…or simple friendship, she would give it, even if she felt like she was going to incinerate on the spot. She felt a sudden inexplicable longing for the cold water jets in Noa's shower. "I…I apologize. I have misread or misjudged…I…" She needed to leave. Now. Goddess help her, Noa in her skin-baring fitted top and hip-hugging pants with their abundance of pockets and buttons…buttons she desperately wanted to tug loose with her teeth…was the most alluring sight she had ever seen. She had thought Noa wanted her as well, but perhaps she did not, not equally. "Goddess…I am sorry; I should go."

She hadn't made it half a step before Noa caught her hand. "Liara wait."

"Noa please…I am begging you…" Wisps of dark energy began to trail across her skin, her frayed nerves in such a jumbled disarray her biotics flared uncontrollably. "I am trying to do the right thing…to give you what you want… but it hurts!"

"What I want?" She let herself be reeled in, shuddering as Noa's bare arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. "What I want is you, but…it's complicated. I want you to be sure you're ready. Aeian sort of let your inexperience slip and I don't know how asari view these things but to me, that's…Christ, Liara, to humans being someone's first is a pretty big deal…but there's more to it than that." Noa pulled back slightly, her eyes tangled with emotion."You hurt me. Not because I was concerned about being manipulated; I was hurt because I wanted our first time together to be more than just sex. I was half in love with you even then, and you reduced everything I felt to nothing more than a quick tumble on the sofa. Mind you it would have been a mind-blowing tumble, but damn it…I wanted…I want more."

"You think I do not care about you?" _Goddess…what a fool I have been. _

"No…yes…I don't know," Noa sighed. "It's too hard to think clearly around you, but whatever this is between us, it's never been about just wanting you and it won't ever be…not for me, anyway." Outside, thunder rolled across the sky and the clouds burst, releasing a torrent of rain. Noa leaned forward until their foreheads touched and all Liara could see was the brilliance of her eyes in the dim light. When she spoke her voice was a desperate whisper. "Tonight, all I know is you are in my room, wearing my clothes. You smell like my soap and I need you…Stay with me tonight, Liara. Please."

In response, her hands found Noa's hair and pulled her forward, fusing their lips in a reckless kiss. Heart racing, her body begged her to hurry, to take, to feel…everything. Swallowing Noa's low moan she wrenched her mouth away, panting softly as their eyes locked.

Noa eyed her hopefully, "I'm going to assume that's a yes?"

"Yes…a thousand times yes." Sliding her hands around Noa's hips and down, she captured her firm backside and lifted her easily, nearly purring when Noa's legs wrapped around her waist as she carried her to the bed and placed her on its soft surface. She needed Noa's skin under her hands. Now. Grasping the hem of Noa's shirt, she peeled it up over her head and tossed it aside. Her bra was a confection of pale pink with a small clasp nestled between her breasts that easily gave way to her questing fingers. Her breath hissed out as Noa's hands slid under her shirt and up.

"Jesus…you're not wearing a bra." Noa's hands felt like fires against her skin as they moved over her breasts, lightly grazing their peaks until her nipples, inverted at rest, stood erect against her palms. Twin jolts of pleasure coursed through her as Noa's thumbs brushed against them fleetingly before her hands retreated to tug the shirt over her head. "You are so beautiful," Noa murmured, her hands already sliding to the waistband of Liara's pants, pausing when she encountered the lightly raised skin of the scars at her hip. "I am so sorry I let that happen."

"You did not let it happen, Noa…as I recall it was my own doing, but it is unimportant…I do not mind them." She suddenly felt uncharacteristically self-conscious. "Do they…bother you?"

Noa's eyes flicked up to hers, their corners crinkled as she smiled softy. "No…not at all. They're actually kind of..uh, sexy." Noa's fingers dove farther past the soft elastic at her hips. "You're not wearing underwear either?"

"I had not planned to shower in your room."

"For the record, that is also very sexy," Noa said. "Now where was I?"

Placing her hands against Noa's shoulders she pushed her back onto the bed. "Distracting me from undressing you…a situation I plan to repair immediately." Her hands found the topmost button of Noa's pants and she made short order of sliding it and the rest of the buttons free. She would save using her teeth for another time; if she put her mouth near Noa's skin now, the thin cord of control she was maintaining would snap. Noa pressed her shoulders into the mattress and lifted her hips, and she peeled her pants and underwear off in one swift motion.

Noa was stunning fully dressed, but undressed stole her breath. She had to touch her.

"I hope I meet your approval."

A smile played on her lips as she slid her own pants over her hips and let them fall, kicking them aside. "Yes…I definitely approve." Her humor faded, replaced by driving need as she crawled onto the bed, following Noa as she slid up until her feet were fully on the mattress. Noa's arms wrapped around her, and she slowly lowered her body, gasping at the contact, suddenly shivering uncontrollably as she fought an urgent need to rapidly consume every glorious inch of the woman under her. She screwed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth at the unexpected onslaught of sensations. "Goddess…everything about you feels so…incredible." Noa shifted and though the motion was slight, it sent a current of pleasure arcing through her.

Noa's lips found hers, her tongue seeking entrance, quickly granted. Hands floated down her back, a moan whether from her throat or Noa's she couldn't tell as Noa's hands grasped her hips, thumb lightly brushing her scars as she pulled her closer still. It was too much…not nearly enough….she needed, wanted more.

"Noa…" her voice rasped against the skin of Noa's neck as Noa's hands slid up her back, slim fingers deftly exploring her nape. "Goddess…" Bracing her hands against the bed, she pushed herself up to stare down into Noa's eyes, trembling so violently the bed shook.

Noa looked up at her through glazed eyes, "Is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?"

"Goddess no…you are doing everything exactly right…too right."

Noa offered her a crooked smile, "There's no such thing as too right…I want you to feel good."

"But I cannot think." She needed to think. The last time she hadn't. Desperate to have her, she had forged ahead with no thought for Noa's feelings and she had hurt her. She gasped, trying to rein in her driving need to take as Noa's hands slid down to her breasts, back arching when warm thumbs grazed their peaks. "Please…"

"Stop trying to think and _feel._" Noa's hands were magic against her skin. "You have such a…an intrinsic need to be in control." Noa withdrew her hands and shifted abruptly, rolling and pulling Liara under her, pinning her with her weight. Liara could feel Noa's heartbeat pounding against her own chest, as if seeking to gain admittance. Dipping her head, Noa brushed their lips together, the tip of her tongue darting out to tease her bottom lip before retreating. "I am here…I am yours…all of me, freely given," Noa whispered against her lips. "Now give me all of you…please…I won't ask you to stop. _Let go_."

Noa's softly spoken command was like a key turning a lock. "I am yours, Noa Shepard."

Noa pulled back to study her face, her expression a mixture of hope and disbelief. "Show me."

Pulling her arms free, she slid her hands down the length of Noa's back, relishing the heat of her skin and its smooth texture, thrilling at Noa's soft gasp as her palms slid over the curves of her backside, anchoring her hips and pulling her closer, seeking to show her in the only way she knew. "Embrace eternity."

Noa welcomed her without hesitation and she slipped into her, instantly sensing Noa's eagerness, her abandon and awe.

_Liara…you're beautiful… it wasn't like this before…_

_Our meld before was brief… superficial…for the sake of knowledge only…this is more…but not all. _

_You are…uneasy. Why?_

She felt like a dam ready to burst, a dry twig on the verge of snapping. _Because I am trying to be careful…you speak lightly of relinquishing control…it is a fearful thing for me…._

_I understand; it keeps you safe… _Noa braced her weight on her elbows and trailed kisses along her jawline and down her neck, the warmth of her lips cool in comparison to the heat building inside her.

_No…_Thinking was impossible with Noa's mouth on her skin. _It keeps us both safe…Goddess… _The heat from Noa's breath washed over her breast. She arched forward, trying to increase the contact.

_I want all of you, Liara… _

Noa's lips closed around her nipple and she gasped, the sensation so exquisite and sharp it severed the thin cord of her restraint. The air around them grew heavy and charged as her biotics flared, blue tendrils of energy snaking out from her skin to wrap them both in a glowing nimbus. _Then you shall have me…and I you. _With a mental push, she deepened the meld, gasping as she slammed into a red wall of need emanating from Noa that left her breathless even as it filled her with an intoxicating sense of power. Unfettered, she surrendered to it, letting it fill her until it merged seamlessly with her own urgent desire.

Frantic to touch her, Liara abruptly shifted their positions, using Noa's hip to roll her onto her back until she was splayed out before her on the bed. Grasping Noa's hands in hers, she stretched her arms over her head, locking her wrists in place with a weak biotic field, sending waves of reassurance to Noa as she did. Noa could free herself easily if she chose; she hoped she did not. The slightest touch would erode her focus and the sight of her, bound and wanting, made her ache with anticipation.

_I trust you… _The words were accompanied by an unconditional acceptance that made her heart squeeze in her chest, and a flush of excitement that mirrored her own.

Easing down, she brushed their lips together, teasing Noa's tongue with her own when it darted from between her lips before lightly kissing the corner of her mouth. _You have no idea how often I have imagined you like this, Noa…Goddess… _

She had been worried about her inexperience, but through the meld she could _feel_ Noa's body and all the places she wanted…needed to be touched…by her. Heart pounding, she lowered her mouth to Noa's breast, capturing a nipple lightly between her teeth, bathing it with her tongue, reveling in the sharp spike of pleasure she felt through the meld, Noa's heady moan, and the feel of her hips rocking up against her. _Do not move…I cannot concentrate._

_But I need…_

Her free hand found Noa's other breast and lightly teased its tip. _I know what you need; I can feel you…let me show you. _She shifted to Noa's other breast, pulling its taut peek within her mouth.

_Christ… _Noa gasped.

_Your body is so similar…yet so different. _ Her lips trailed down the taut muscles of Noa's abdomen, drinking in the taste and scent of her skin. _You are sensitive everywhere…and the sounds you make… _Breathy rasps and soft sighs accompanied her every touch. She sank her teeth into the skin at the crest of Noa's hip, eliciting a throaty moan. _Goddess, I love the sounds you make. I love that you make them because I am touching you._

She raked her nails lightly across the flat plane of Noa's stomach, watching the play of the muscles tightening under her skin. She splayed her hand low over Noa's belly, allowing her fingertips to brush the neatly groomed curls just below her palm. The heat and scent rising from Noa's body was intoxicating. Lifting her hand, she scooted farther down the bed, gently stroking the smooth inside of Noa's thighs, purring in contentment as they fell apart. Here…hidden beneath trim, dark curls and delicate folds…was where she needed to touch…where Noa desperately wanted to be touched. An aching pressure radiated from Noa's core, an incessant and pounding thrum of need that made her own body twitch in response.

She placed the heel of her palm against Noa's center and massaged lightly. Noa moaned, a near desperate sound and her hips jerked upward, pressing into her hand. Entranced by the movement,_ s_he pressed in again, making slow circles with her palm, allowing the pressure inside both of them to build.

_Liara…_

At the sound of her name, tugged urgently from Noa's lips, she was suddenly desperate for her mouth. Pulling away she climbed her length and captured it. _I could spend hours kissing you…days exploring you…it would not be enough._ Dropping to one elbow beside her she allowed her fingertips to meander across Noa's breasts, pausing briefly to brush their taut peaks before moving down to lightly flit across damp curls, deliberately keeping her touch light and evasive as Noa's hips arched upward, seeking.

_Please…I need more._

_I have so much more to give_…Noa was slick and hot under her hand and her fingers gently dipped and slid inside her effortlessly, both of them groaning at the sudden, intense pleasure. _Goddess Noa…you are so perfect…_Drowning, she began to move, capturing Noa's mouth to breathe in the soft whimpers that accompanied every thrust of her hand. When she felt the slick walls surrounding her fingers begin to tighten, she stilled abruptly, thrilling at the power she wielded. More thrilled by Noa's awareness of it. She could hold her here, at the cusp of some unseen edge. It was like biotics, finding the right balance of stimulus to elicit the desired response.

_Liara…please don't stop… _

She leaned in, kissing her thoroughly, memorizing the taste and texture of her mouth before sliding down the length of her to brush her lips against the petal soft skin of Noa's inner thigh. She moved her fingers slowly, the corners of her mouth curling in satisfaction at the rush of relief and pleasure radiating from Noa at the motion.

_I am not nearly done…_ Bracing her free arm across Noa's hips to slow her movement, she lowered her mouth, allowing her tongue to explore Noa's delicate folds. A sharp spike of pleasure shocked Noa's system as her tongue flicked across a familiar yet unexpected swollen cluster of nerves that throbbed against her lips in response. _Goddess…_

_Yes! There! Liara please…don't stop…_

Wrapping her lips around the sensitive bundle, she lavished it with her tongue, pushing the meld deeper, bringing them into perfect alignment until every sensation Noa felt was fully hers, and hers Noa's. The sudden deluge of sensation sent them spiraling toward the brink. _No,_ n_ot yet…hold on… _She was undone by Noa's gasping, desperate cries, by the heat and scent of her, by her warmth and wetness and pleasure like an inferno inside her. She never wanted it to end. She wanted to take more. She wanted to give more.

_Liara… _

_I know, love…almost… I need you…this…us…_She pushed the meld farther still, and faster until every line separating them blended, blurred, and disappeared. Pleasure mounted. They were one. The union was beautiful and primal, scorching in intensity, every nerve exposed, every emotion shared completely. _Goddess… Noa Shepard, you are mine. _

_Always… _They crashed over the edge together, tumbling and falling through pleasure so intense it sucked the air from her lungs and stripped her bare. She held on, keeping them bound one to the other until she felt the echo of the last quivering aftershocks before withdrawing her hand, ending the meld, and releasing her. With a contented sigh she collapsed in a replete, boneless heap.

"Noa…that was amazing," she murmured when she was finally able to speak. "You are amazing…thank you."

Noa's fingertips lazily stroked her cheek. "I think I'm the one who should be thanking you…sweet Jesus, Liara, that was incredible. Are you sure you haven't done this before?"

She playfully nipped Noa's inner thigh, smiling when she felt her tremble. "I have not…though I admit I have thought about it quite often since meeting you," she confessed. "I was a bit…intimidated at first, but your own body led me everywhere I needed to go; all I had to do was listen."

Her head, still resting on Noa's thigh, shook as Noa laughed, "Best. Listener. Ever."

Ridiculously happy, she pushed herself upright, hands fumbling over the blankets in search of her shirt.

"What are you looking for?"

"My shirt…your shirt…in lieu of a, um, towel. I do not think my legs will carry me to the bathroom."

Noa's hand snaked out and grasped her wrist, pulling her down beside her. "I think you should wait." Her eyes glowed in the dim light.

"Wait? But…why?"

Noa's lips were soft, her tongue swift as she kissed her. "Because we're not done."

Her pulse jumped erratically, "Noa…I do not think I can…"

Noa's lips were urgent and persuasive. "Yes you can," she whispered. "I was just in your head, remember?" Noa's fingers crept to the back of her head, unerringly finding the hidden ridge under her crests. She gasped as heat shot down her spine, and blue wisps of biotic energy erupted from her skin. Like a banked fire, with the lightest touch she flared quickly to life. Twining her fingers through Noa's hair she tugged her closer, arching her neck to give her better access. She screwed her eyes shut, amazed by the ferocity of her endless desire for Noa's touch.

"Goddess…"

Noa's lips skimmed along her cheek as a feverish hand gripped her thigh, pulling it forward. Noa's fingers sank inside her without preamble and she cried out, the sound lost in Noa's mouth as her lips teased and savored. The meld hadn't prepared her for the direct touch of Noa's hands. Nothing could have; the pleasure, as Noa stroked nerves so recently fired, was indescribable. "Damn…I know you're already almost there…Christ, Liara…open your eyes…let me see you."

Her eyes flew open and locked onto Noa's but she could barely see her for the smooth shots of liquid pleasure racing down her spine and spreading up from her core. "Goddess Noa…slower" Without breaking rhythm, Noa's fingers slowed a beat. "Yes..goddess…just like that..do not stop."

"Unlike you, I won't," Noa teased softly. Without slowing her fingers, Noa's thumb began to move over her in smooth, steady circles, each stroke feeding the tension mounting within her until she was a slave to the magic of Noa's hands.

"Noa…I need you," she rasped, her breathing heavy and uneven. She was on fire, burning. The pressure inside her threatening to swamp her reason. Tilting her hips, she drove Noa's fingers deeper, nearly sobbing as the pressure mounted.

"Take what you need, Liara…I'm right here." Wordlessly, she leapt into Noa's mind.

_Christ… _Noa's breath rushed out on a low moan. _I love that I can do this for you…that I'm the only one who ever has._

Heat and pressure increased further until she was oblivious to everything except all the points of contact between her skin and Noa's, every fiber of her being arcing toward a jagged cusp of pleasure so intense it barely seemed possible. Hips rising to meet Noa's hand, she held onto it, letting it build until she was ready to burst.

_Let go, love…I've got you…_

_Noa…goddess…yes!_ Pleasure erupted in heavy, molten waves, searing away everything else and sending her soaring. Only her link to Noa held her in place and kept her from flying away.

Before she'd fully recovered she wound her fingers in Noa's hair, pulling their mouths together, her lips and tongue feverish and possessive. _I love you, Noa Shepard…you are mine…and I am yours._


	26. Chapter 26 Tea

A/N An abundance of thanks (as usual) to OwelPost for beta-reading this chapter.

Also, if you've never seen the concept art for Benezia, go use your favorite search engine and find it. I always thought in-game Benezia was too hard looking, and too boobs o'clock. Concept Benezia, however, is quite beautiful and mysterious. As I write her, it's definitely concept Benezia I'm thinking of.

**Tea**

* * *

Noa balanced a heavily laden tray in her arms while Jeeves's headlamp blinked rapidly in virtual disapproval.

"I've got it Jeeves, I swear. I won't drop it or…spill anything. I hope." She stood outside the door to Liara's room taking deep calming breaths.…after last night it would be Benezia's room going forward if she had her way. Despite her current anxiety, her lips curved in a satisfied smile.

After an amazing night…during which little sleep had occurred…she and Liara had spent the better part of the morning in bed…still not sleeping… before enjoying a late breakfast together in the kitchen. The last of the rain had finally tapered off and after their meal, Liara and Aeian had gone out to the valley to train. With nothing pressing to do, she had decided she would bring Benezia tea. It had seemed like a good idea at the time but now she was having second thoughts. Asari tea was a much more complex endeavor than she anticipated. "Tell me again, what's the proper order?"

"You must place the teapot at the center of the table with the handle to the north. Next you must place the cups onto the table…the matriarch's first, south of the teapot with the handle to the east. Place yours next, north and with the handle to the west…"

"Damn it, I feel like I should have a compass! Is this tea or orienteering?" She gripped the tray so tightly the lid on the pot rattled.

"It is tea, Noa," Jeeves replied calmly. "Specifically, Shan Tav, an eezo rich blend of…"

"It was a rhetorical question, Jeeves," she said dryly. "You know what…I'm just going to wing it. It won't be a horrible thing if I mess up a little bit. Will it?"

Jeeves's lamp blinked, "Is that question also rhetorical, Noa?"

She sighed in exasperation, "Unless you're programmed to lie…and I know you're not… then yes." Squaring her shoulders, she leveled the tray. "Wish me luck, Jeeves."

Jeeves opened the door and stepped back. "May your probability of success exceed your potential failure rate by a factor of two, Noa."

"Thanks Jeeves." As the door slid fully open, Benezia's eyes drew upward from a book cradled in her hands. Someone…Jeeves most likely, had returned the sofa to its original position and placed a small table and chairs near the window so the matriarch could take her meals in the room until she felt stronger. The matriarch sat there now, surrounded by an abundance of pillows and wearing a dress of deep blue that highlighted her facial markings. Her expression held curiosity as her eyes took in Noa standing in the doorway, and shifted to pleasant surprise when she glanced at the tray. She said nothing, but a brief dip of her head indicated Noa was welcome to enter.

Noa tensed as she stepped across the threshold and silently carried the carefully balanced tray across the room. In asari tradition, the manner in which a tea was served was its own language and set the tone for the conversation to follow. Ideally, neither she nor Benezia would speak until after the tea was poured and the first sips taken.

She breathed a slow sigh of relief as she gently placed her burden on the table, but she didn't relax. Now came the difficult part of the impromptu tea…properly laying it out. She removed the teapot from the tray and set it in the center of the table, ensuring the handle was to the north. _So far so good, Noa…you've got this. _When she lifted the matriarch's cup her mind went absolutely blank. _Sweet Christ…is it east or west? What will it mean if I turn it the wrong way? _She desperately wanted to make a good impression…it was Liara's _mom _for chrissake. She twirled the cup in restless fingers.

"East," Benezia said simply, her tone indicating neither approval or disapproval.

Determined to maintain her composure, she placed the cup in front of Benezia, oriented it properly, and continued to set the table. With a few minor pointers from the matriarch she finished and once both cups were filled, finally took a seat across from her.

When Benezia set her book aside and met her eyes, fixing her firmly in an intent gaze, she finally understood what it meant to be in the presence of a matriarch from an upper house. Nothing in her repertoire of experience provided a parallel point of reference. Yes, Sha'ira and Aethyta were matriarchs but Benezia was so far beyond them…so _other…_it was like making first contact with an entirely new species. Benezia had a timeless and alien quality about her. Even with weary shadows under her eyes, and her skin stretched tight over the sharp angles of her face, she exuded power and purpose. It surrounded her like a halo, as if the culminated wisdom of her years was too large for her skin to contain and the light streaming in through the window bent to accommodate the sheer force of her.

Benezia's dark blue eyes were beautiful and sharp, an arsenal of intelligence tempered with shrewdness and honed to a monomolecular edge of acuity. The matriarch didn't study her so much as vivisect her where she sat. The experience was unsettling, but she brushed her discomfort aside in consideration of the revelations it provided.

Two things occurred to her simultaneously and she knew them each to be irrefutably true: asari prominence and power had very little to do with exclusive access to hidden prothean data. It was their matriarchs, like Benezia, who set the asari apart from the other species, and _this…_this abundance of raw power and confidence wrapped in a deceptively non-threatening package…was who and how Liara would be in time. With her genetics, Liara would likely surpass Benezia in every conceivable way. She smiled at the thought.

Across from her, one dark brow arched in response. Benezia lifted her tea and sipped lightly before gently returning her cup to its matching plate without so much as a clink. "I would know your thoughts, human. Why do you smile?"

Copying Benezia, she sipped her own tea, pleased her cup remained steady in her nervous hands. "I see your daughter when I look at you." At Benezia's inquiring look, she clarified, "There is a human saying about parents and children…the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. Liara is like a sprouting acorn, but sitting here with you, it's easy to see the oak into which she will one day grow." She hesitated; the analogy felt inadequate. Benezia was a forest of mystery. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Matriarch Benezia."

"I thank you for your kindness and hospitality, Noa Shepard. It is a pleasure to finally meet you as well." Benezia's expression shifted to something pointed, almost pleased that she couldn't identify. "Liara has finally made you her lia'nan."

Noa's brows knit as she tried to place the word. "My apologies, Matriarch, but I'm not familiar with that term." Benezia's answering smile transformed her from beautiful to breathtaking.

"No…it is not something your translator could interpret. The closest term human analogue is lover I suppose, but its meaning is more complex than that simple concept implies. A lia'nan is a lover, a confidante, a source of strength…a partner." Benezia's voice had the same, rhythmic and flowing quality as Liara's. "Tell me Noa Shepard, are you worthy of my daughter's affection?"

She couldn't decide which caught her more off guard, the directness of the question or that Benezia knew she and Liara had slept together. She knew for a fact Liara hadn't spoken with her mother since the previous afternoon. She lifted her cup and considered her words carefully, sensing the tenor of her response, and Benezia's reaction to it, would set the tone any future interactions between them.

She met Benezia's ancient gaze and spoke frankly. "Is it possible to be worthy of something so rare? Matriarch, I don't know that I will ever be worthy of your daughter, but what I can assure you of is this: I will challenge her, and hope to be challenged by her. I will teach her and learn from her. I will not be the sole source of her happiness, nor do I ever want to be, but I will be part of the reason she is happy. I will love her and protect her. I will try every day to be worthy of her affection, Matriarch…but whether I am or not is ultimately up to Liara to decide."

"What will be up to me to decide?" Still dressed in Noa's fitted yoga pants and t-shirt, Liara strolled into the room. Aeian burst through at her side, grinning from ear to ear as her eyes sought out Noa's long enough to give her an enthusiastic thumb's up. Liara glanced at the table setting as she approached and paused. "Who served the tea?"

"Your lia'nan did, Little Wing."

"Imperfectly, I'm afraid," she confessed. She had a new appreciation for Aeian's attitude toward social rules. There were too many. She wasn't sure if it she should remain seated or if it was permissible to stand, though at Liara's pleased smile she was already halfway to her feet. To stop herself from reaching for her, she clasped her hands together behind her back.

"To be fair, she did respectably well," Benezia said. "Much better than your first attempt, Liara…though she does have an age advantage. I believe you were only nine at the time." The change in Benezia was so drastic, Noa wrenched her eyes away from Liara to stare at her. The matriarchal mask was gone, replaced by a warmth and affection her eyes could barely contain as she looked at Liara.

Liara circled the table and kissed her mother on each cheek, "Good afternoon, mother…how are you feeling today?"

"Significantly better." Benezia looked past Noa's shoulder to Aeian, who hovered in the background. "Jeie T'Goni, it is my understanding you disdain formality. Does that extend to manners as well? Come and say hello."

Aeian's jaw tightened as she approached the matriarch but as she moved to extend her hand in formal greeting, Benezia lightly captured her wrist. "No, that is not necessary, child. I will not ask you to put aside your convictions for the sake of my presence, not when I owe you a debt of gratitude for your dedication and safe keeping of my daughter. _Yav thoi onoith..._"

Aeian winced and cut her off before she could finish, "No…please Matriarch Benezia. There is no debt between our houses. Liara is my ari, and I am hers. She repays my devotion with her own and for her existence, I am indebted to _you._" Though her words were for Benezia, Aeian smiled at Liara as she spoke. "Your daughter has taught me much and more about the kind of person I want to be. Her resolve and determination, her capacity for kindness, and her unbending strength are worthy of her name and our pride…even when she herself cannot always see it." Aeian's gaze shifted to Benezia. "I wish no slight or offense, Matriarch, but in this place, during this time, let us be not as two houses but one…with our purposes united in support of your daughter."

Benezia inclined her head gently. "You speak with wisdom beyond your years. You are a credit to your house and our people…Aeian."

Aeian's stiff shoulders relaxed with relief. "Thank you, Matriarch.

As Aeian leaned in to kiss Benezia and the pair continued to chat amicably, Liara circled the table to where Noa stood watching the exchange with new eyes. Her brief tea with Benezia had been enlightening; the matriarch was so much more than she'd expected because she'd looked at her through human eyes. She recalled Aeian's words to her when they'd spoken in the lab. Aeian had been right, she'd never truly understand what it meant to _be_ asari…no more than Aeian, for all her near-human quirks could truly understand what it meant to be human…and that was okay. Homogeneity was boring and she'd much rather celebrate and appreciate their differences. Abrogating formality must have been quite a concession for Benezia to make to the young T'Goni, and she'd never heard Aeian speak with so much care and respect.

Liara moved to stand beside her and brushed a gentle kiss across her cheek. She smelled faintly of sweat mixed with her own unique and indefinable scent, and Noa's pulse jumped in response.

Liara smiled softly, "Serving tea to a matriarch is no small thing, Noa. I am impressed."

"I wanted to do it," she replied with a slight shrug. "She's your mom…and I wanted to make a good impression." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "I have no idea how I'm doing. Or how she knew about us…or if she approves."

"She does," Liara replied softly, her eyes smiling. "In fact, she was surprised I had not claimed you sooner." As Noa tried to digest that bit of information, Liara pivoted slightly so that her back was to Aeian and Benezia, and leaned close, placing her lips by Noa's ear. When she spoke her voice was a soft, lilting whisper, "You are _mine, _lia'nan…and goddess…I want you naked and under my tongue."

Heat pooled low in her belly. She bit the inside of her cheek…hard, and clasped her hands together so tightly they ached. She dared not move a muscle for fear of scooping Liara into her arms and running from the room. In hindsight, it was a good thing she did not for many reasons, but primarily because she would have plowed into Aethyta, who chose that moment to walk through the door.

"Damn…I didn't know you were having a party, Nezzie." Beside her, Liara leaned back, but did not move away.

"Noa was kind enough to bring tea and sit with me for a little while."

Aethyta eyed Noa, a slight smirk appearing on her lips as her eyes flitted to Liara and back. "Hm…it's about goddess damn time."

"Aethyta," Benezia's tone held a note of warning. "Please at least _try _to mind your tongue." Beside her, Liara made a soft sound of satisfaction while Aethyta tilted her head and quirked her brow in a gesture that clearly said 'not on your life'.

"Dr. Chakwas is here from the colony. She's with Sha'ira right now, but she'll be in to see you right after." Her expression softened as she studied Benezia's face. "You look better."

"I feel much better…I am glad you are here. We need to discuss what happens next. When I am strong enough, I must go to the Citadel and…"

"No!" Liara blurted, stiffening beside her.

"Matriarch," Noa said. "You are more than welcome to stay here until you're back on your feet…and for as long as you need afterward." She didn't know how the Council dealt with traitors, but she knew Liara would fight tooth and nail, without hesitation, to keep her mother free of the Council's clutches. "No one knows you're here except those of us committed to helping Liara, and well…she and Aethyta just got you back. Let's not rush anything. If you have to go anywhere, go to Thessia. I can arrange a private transport and security."

"I will return to Thessia in due time. The other matriarchs will doubtlessly wish to meet with me as well as the Council." Benezia replied. "I appreciate your kindness and generosity, Noa, but I cannot remain here. I must answer for what I have done."

"No. No, mother." Liara's voice was so strained Noa's eyes whipped around. Liara held herself stiff and erect and her freckles stood out in stark contrast to her suddenly pale skin. "The last sphere…the orb from Parnack…" Liara licked her lips and swallowed nervously before schooling her features to a serene mask. It was a transformation that never failed to fascinate her and made all the more compelling by the fact that she had so recently seen those same features stripped of civility and laid bare by her own hands. An unexpected bolt of heat speared through her as she recalled Liara's eyes glowing with satisfaction as her lips had devoured her skin. _Damn…focus, Noa. _

Liara hadn't spoken of what the sphere from Parnack had shown her and in their rush to return to Horizon and care for Benezia, she hadn't asked, knowing Liara would talk about it when she was ready.

Liara looked at all of them, her eyes cool with resolve. "The Citadel is more than a station…it is a mass relay, the central relay for the entire relay network. The Intelligence that was created by the A'than…the entity responsible for creating the reapers and Sovereign…it resides on the Citadel, dormant until the relay is activated to usher the reapers in from dark space."

Benezia's sharply indrawn breath rasped through her teeth like a knife yanked from a sheath. "Goddess…the conduit." Benezia thrust her hand forward and captured Liara's wrist. "Liara, Saren is searching for a way to bring the reapers back. He believes that by aiding their return, he and those who have aided him will be spared. I was sent to Noveria…to search the mind of a rachni queen held on Peak Fifteen for information about the protheans…"

"Wait," Noa was stunned. She had studied rachni extensively in her xenohistory and biology courses. "You had a rachni…a living, breathing, honest to goodness _rachni _on Noveria? How? The rachni have been extinct since the wars."

"A science team from Binary Helix was conducting field research in the Terminus when they found a derelict rachni ship. The ship contained cryogenically preserved eggs. They were brought back to the lab on Peak Fifteen and hatched. Saren hoped to extract a biotoxin from the resultant rachni, but one of the eggs…she was a queen…a mother." The way Benezia phrased it jogged her memory.

"And the queens carry the ancestral memories of their mothers,"she said, more to herself than the group as bits of information clicked into place like puzzle pieces. "A rachni queen would have the memories and knowledge of the queen that came before her, but…what would Saren hope to gain? Was he looking for anything specific?"

"Yes." Benezia nodded stiffly. "The images from the beacon, and the cipher he received from the Thorian all pointed to Ilos."

"Ilos?" She had always dreamed of traveling to Ilos. Many prothean ruins referenced the lost planet, but the relay that led to that part of the Terminus had been lost thousands of years ago. "Ilos is the Holy Grail of prothean studies for archeologists. I once participated in a research project to chart an FTL course to Ilos, but…" Her eyes snapped up to Benezia's. "Christ..of course! The Mu relay was in rachni controlled space! That's what Saren needed. If he could get the coordinates for the relay from the rachni queen, he could relay into the Pangea Expanse straight to Ilos. The conduit he's looking for _must_ be there."

"I do not know…I do not even think Saren knows for certain exactly what the conduit _is. _It may be another shot in the dark, but my absence will mean little." Benezia's eyes darkened with regret. "Aethtya rescued me before I reached the rachni queen, but there were acolytes that remained aboard Sovereign who could serve in my place. All were slaves to him." Benezia released Liara's wrist and lifted her now cool tea in a trembling hand. She took a drink and returned the cup to its place. It clinked sharply against the saucer. "Sovereign is…unknowable. His mind is dark and incomprehensibly vast, but I can see now in ways I could not before, when my mind was clouded by his influence.

Sovereign was to monitor the galaxy and serve as the sentinel for the return of the reapers…but something went wrong. He is…alone. Cut off, and vulnerable because of it, yet all the more dangerous because he is desperate. The reapers remain dormant in dark space until he signals for them, but he has been unable to do so. In Sovereign's search for answers it discovered the protheans devised a method to interfere with the signal. That is why Saren has been investigating the protheans…to divine the method they utilized and eliminate it."

"Goddess…I understand." Liara reached for Noa's hand, and clutched it tightly. "The last sphere I need to find is on the Citadel and I believe it is the _orb _that is blocking the signal. Levi'athan could not have placed it there himself; it is too close to the Intelligence, too dangerous…"

"…which means the protheans must have taken it there," Aeian interjected. "But…damn…they could only have done it after the reapers retreated back into dark space." Aeian's eyes widened, "Ari, if the protheans didn't devise the method of _interfering_ with the signal, they devised the method of its delivery. The conduit must be a…a back door of some kind, into the Citadel." Aeian's expression shifted comically as she thwacked her hand against her forehead in an exaggerated gesture. "Go figure…the _conduit_," she mimed quotes, "really is a conduit. Damn those pesky protheans and their tricky nomenclature."

"Wait," Noa said. "The orb is on the Citadel? Liara…are you sure? We know they're compelling in their own right. The vorcha and the yagh both wanted to protect them. How could the orb have been there this whole time without being found?"

Liara tilted her chin up, blue eyes seeking hers. "Yes, I am certain it is there, and I believe it has been found…by the only group that was present on the Citadel when the asari first discovered it."

"The keepers? The keepers have the orb?"

Liara nodded, "Yes…it is the only explanation that fits…Aeian is right. Sovereign needs the Citadel and is searching for a means to access it. With an army of geth at his side, Saren can subdue the Council and C-Sec, clearing the way for Sovereign to activate the relay directly."

"Time is of the essence Little Wing," Benezia said. "I do not know if Saren was able to get the information he needed from the rachni, but if he did…he will move swiftly. Saren believes that by helping the reapers, he will be spared. He cannot see that Sovereign is using him, that he is no more than a tool…though Sovereign's influence over him is…different than it was with me. Less complete."

"Matriarch…it's been several weeks since Aethyta rescued you. Saren has had plenty of time to act, but nothing we've heard from Tevos thus far indicates he has." She shifted her attention to Aethyta, "Have you heard anything from Tela regarding Saren's movements? Or those of the human Spectre? Do we have any idea where Saren is or what's been happening?"

"Not yet. Tela left for the Citadel the minute we touched down here two days ago so she'll just be arriving there. The first place she'll go is the Spectre office to check in."

Noa ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "Damn…we need to figure out what he's planning. I feel like I'm missing something. Something important."

Aethyta studied Benezia briefly before turning back to her. "I'll follow up with Tela when Dr. Chakwas gets here. In the meantime, do your figuring elsewhere. I want everyone the hell out of here. Nezzie needs to rest."

Benezia looked as if she would argue, but Liara reached across the table and stayed her with a gentle touch of her hand. "No mother…father is right. You do need to rest. Dr. Chakwas will be with you soon and we will only get in the way."

"Yes…you are right," Benezia conceded. Peering around Liara, she caught Noa's eye. "Noa, stay for a moment."

Liara's brows rose in surprise, and she looked at her mother, but said nothing, merely gave Noa's fingers a gentle squeeze and followed Aeian and Aethyta from the room.

Noa waited for the door to close before speaking. "My apologies, Matriarch. Our tea didn't go exactly the way I'd envisioned. I look forward to a time when I can sit with you and talk about something less, um…severe."

"I look forward to that as well, though you have given me a great deal to think about." Benezia clasped her slender fingers together in her lap but Noa didn't miss their trembling. "Noa…Saren knows Liara is the Oracle and if he knows, so does Sovereign." Noa's breath hissed out as the implications of Benezia's words hit her like a fist to the gut. "They both know Liara is the only person in the galaxy with the potential means to stop them, and they will stop at nothing to destroy her…they will never stop, Noa. I have seen the reapers in the beacon on Thessia…"

"Liara has seen them in the spheres," Noa said softly. "In numbers to blot out the stars…Matriarch Benezia, I know it's a lot to ask, but…will you show me? Will you show me what you've seen so I know what Liara faces?"

For a moment, she thought Benezia would refuse, but after a pregnant pause, she nodded. "I will…help me to the sofa, Noa. We will be more comfortable there."

Noa grasped Benezia's chair and pulled it from under the table. Taking Benezia's hands in hers, she gently helped the matriarch to her feet. She felt weightless and thin, like a hollow-boned bird, though she stood tall and straight, topping Noa's height by several inches even in her slippered feet. As she continued to stare, Benezia's lips curved in a wry smile and Noa's cheeks flamed. "You're..um…tall." She took Benezia's arm and turned toward the sofa on the far side of the room. "You really don't resemble each other, but I can't stop seeing Liara whenever I look at you."

Benezia's laughter was like sun warmed honey, rich and thick. "I will take that as a compliment. My daughter is very beautiful, is she not?"

"Yes," Noa readily agreed. "As are you." Heat crept up her neck and suffused her cheeks. "Not that I..uh, look at you and Liara the same, or anything…Christ, Aethyta would kill me." She froze, instantly mortified. The last thought had spilled unbidden from her lips, but Benezia threw back her head and laughed, the sound so full of joy she couldn't help but smile in response.

They reached the sofa, and Noa gently guided Benezia to sit. She returned to her chair and retrieved the pillows and her book, propping the pillows around her and placing the book within arms reach on a side table before finally taking a seat across from her.

Benezia held out her hands, "Are you ready, Noa?"

Noa slid her hands into Benezia's and nodded wordlessly.

There was no preamble, just a sensation of warmth suffusing her and of slipping sideways. She blinked reflexively, though the bright sun overhead didn't burn her eyes as she looked around. She and Benezia sat across from each other, cross-legged in the sand. Benezia's waif-like thinness was gone, replaced with the healthy, lean muscle of an asari in her prime. A flock of white birds, similar to gulls but with blue wings, screamed overhead and the surf lapped gently at the nearby shore.

_Where are we?_

_Armali…the beach near my home…one of Liara's favorite places to play as a child…_

An asari child, similar in size to a five or six year-old human streaked naked across the sand, squealing in delight as she ran into the water and dove into the waves. She sprang up moments later, a shell clutched in her fist and held triumphantly aloft. Noa recognized the shell from Aeian's description, a nichti. The child smiled widely, as if the ocean, the sand, and sun were made for her and she for them. Freckles dotted her crinkled nose and cheeks.

Warmth filled her. _That's Liara? _

_Yes…Goddess, how I miss these days with her. She was and is my entire existence. I love Aethyta, but a mother's love is a greater kind of infinite._

_You can have them again…carefree days with your daughter on the beach. Liara would like that after so many years apart. I think she needs it. _The image of young Liara drifted away, as Benezia deftly yet respectfully traipsed through her memories of her daughter.

_You truly love her, don't you? _

_Yes. _The certainty of it resonated through every fiber of her being and she let it spill over into Benezia so she could feel the truth of it. She hadn't know Liara for very long, but her love for the asari ran so deep and true it was as if it had always been there, a timeless artifact patiently awaiting her discovery. She sensed Benezia's appreciative acceptance and recognition.

_She will need you in the days to come. You must be her balance. You must be strong when she is weak and brave in the face of her fear. You must be true and fast, Noa Shepard. _

_I will be… if she will let me.._

_No…you are her lia'nan. You must be all of this and more whether she permits it or not. A lia'nan is not a supplicant. You do not pray for a voice. You do not petition for permission. You are an equal. Her will is strong…stronger than any I have ever known. Yours must be its match in every conceivable way. _

_It is. S_he suddenly understood it wasn't merely that she had given Liara her heart that had prevented Liara's will from ensnaring her that night. It was because they were two halves of the same whole, perfectly balanced. Neither could claim possession of the other because they weren't separate. She briefly wondered if there were other ways Liara might compel her, but brushed the thought aside. _We are one. _

Benezia radiated a combination of pride, happiness, and satisfaction. _Just so, Noa Shepard…just so. _

_Please…I know it is a difficult thing I ask, but please…show me what we will face. What is Liara up against? _

The air around them darkened and the wind picked up sharply. Frothing waves broke against the shore. _See, Noa Shepard. See and feel what is coming._

The world went black. Smoke and screams filled the air. A weight, greater than anything she had ever felt encapsulated her, squeezing and crushing, until the very molecules and atoms of which she was constructed began to shrink in on themselves, rendering her smaller and smaller. A great, malevolent red eye burned with contempt. She was finite, temporary, meaningless…as relevant as a single mote of dust in the endless expanse of the cosmos. A voice, deep, dark and cold spoke from Benezia's memories.

"_We are legion. The time of our return is coming . Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom."_

The room tipped back into focus accompanied by a wave of dizziness. She freed her hands from Benezia's and braced them against the sofa to keep from tipping over and blinked rapidly to clear her vision. Across from her Benezia studied her with cautious eyes.

"_That_ was Sovereign?" Her mind immediately began to process the ramifications of what she had just experienced. Sovereign was one single ship, no…one reaper. Her mind could barely grasp the concept of thousands upon thousands of reapers bearing down on the galaxy intent on destruction. If reapers were that…powerful…how much more powerful and dominating would the Intelligence that created them be?

"Do you understand, Noa? You must be everything for Liara that she cannot be on her own. You must protect her from any that would do her harm, and from herself most of all. She must not fail, fold, or doubt…nor can you." Noa averted her eyes, swallowing past the lump of fear lodged in her throat. Benezia's fingers were cool as she gently lifted Noa's chin. Her own eyes were filled with shadows and doubt. "Can you do this Noa Shepard?"

"Yes." She didn't hesitate. She pushed her fear aside; it served no purpose other than a meaningless distraction. She could do this…_would_ do it, because she didn't do anything halfway. Liara needed her and Benezia needed to hear her certainty. The matriarch couldn't doubt either…none of them could. Damn it, she wouldn't let them. They were Liara's safety net….every single one of them. They were all bound together, one to another, in the care and keeping of one Liara T'Soni, and not because Liara had willed it to be. They had done it themselves, because they loved her. "I will protect your daughter, Matriarch…I swear it."

* * *

**Second A/N**: To everyone who has been reading along, to all who have faved, followed, and/or reviewed: THANK YOU! A MILLION, BAJILLION TIMES (cubed)! Your kindness, support, criticism, and commentary blow me away. [insert exploding/rocket sound here] I try to respond to every review, even if it's just a quick, "Hey thanks for reading!" but with the recent holiday, I fear I may have missed a few folks. If that is the case: Apologies! I assure you, it was unintentional! You're all amazing!


	27. Chapter 27 Check Mate

**A/N **Extra special thanks to OwelPost for graciously beta reading through this. Also, to all who have faved/followed/reviewed: Words alone will never be enough to express my gratitude. Which is why I'm sending you all cookies. (Said in my best EDI voice: that was a joke) Seriously, thank you all so much! If I have for some reason failed to respond, apologies! I will eventually.

Updates will get a bit slower going forward, likely one per week as we get closer to the end of all the things. My once fluffy cushion of prepped chapters is now quite thin and I desperately want to do this right. You all deserve my best effort.

**Check Mate**

* * *

Noa stepped off the lift and strode into the lab, comforted as always by the mix of chemical and electronic scents that permeated the room. If the library was the sentimental heart of her home, the lab was its frenetic brain. The space energized her, and reminded her most problems could be solved, most solutions found, given enough time, experimentation, and data. She was missing something, damn it…something important, and it would gnaw at her until she discovered what it was.

She'd intended to seek out Liara once she left Benezia but practicality had intervened. Liara was undoubtedly showering after her workout and if she were to _accidentally_ stumble in on her enjoying that shower, the remainder of her day would be spent inventing delicious ways to make her sweaty again. Her traitorous imagination conjured an image of water beading and sliding down Liara's skin, the picture so clear and perfect she clenched her toes inside her boots to better grip floor and prevent her feet from carrying her immediately to Liara's side. With a self-deprecating grunt, she pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes and pushed the image out of her mind, forcing herself to focus.

Moving restlessly, she approached her workbench and began loading the extraneous scraps of tech scattered across its surface into a nearby crate. The mundane task kept her hands busy while freeing her mind to consider possibilities. Despite her affinity for science, she wasn't a linear or methodical thinker…a fact that had annoyed her university professors and fellow scientists to no end at times. Her thought processes tended to be more elliptical, creatively curving toward solutions rather than darting directly toward the obvious answer.

Right now, the logical conclusion to their current situation was to get Liara to the Citadel as soon as possible so she could tackle the Intelligence before Saren had time to act. Therein was the rub. If Saren was able to get the location of the Mu Relay from the rachni queen, why hadn't he acted? Hell, Saren and his geth had destroyed two human colonies in their search for information about the protheans. The ex-Spectre's actions up to this point had been ruthless in their haste. Why was he delaying now? What was he waiting for?

The crate was three quarters of the way full and she was no nearer a solution when Sam stepped off the lift carrying a familiar flat box. She felt her lips curved in a welcoming smile as she continued sorting components. "Hey Sam, what's up?"

Sam held up the wooden box. "You owe me a rematch."

It was on the tip of her tongue to say no, but she changed her mind when Sam's smile began to fall. She hadn't really spent any time with her lately and she missed her. Besides that, Sam was damn brilliant. If anyone could help her fill in her missing blank, it was her. "You know what…why not?" The broken converter panel in her hand landed with a satisfying crunch as she dropped it into the crate.

"Excellent!" Sam grinned "I'll just set up."

She washed her hands of collected grime as Sam prepared the chess board. "What are our current standings?"

"Hah! As if you didn't already know! You are up by one lousy match, Shepard. One!" Sam placed the clock alongside the board and sat. "And that is only because you cheated!"

"Hey, it's not my fault you can't play and drink at the same time," she countered as she sat across from Sam, smiling at the familiar chess set. It was a hodge-podge collection of wood, resin, and stone pieces from various sets accumulated since she and Sam had first met. She had others, of course…sets that matched…but this was the one they both preferred to use when playing against each other simply because they always had. It had traveled with them to many remote locations and each piece that had been lost and replaced had its own history. Her rook, a hastily rendered, vaguely cylindrical stack of small flat stones held together with omni-gel leaned precariously to the left.

"Well there will be no drinking this round…not by me anyway." Sam made her opening move and tapped the clock. "Which is why we're playing down here instead of elsewhere."

"Hmm," she studied the board and set her piece, the conundrum with Liara still weighing heavily in the back of her mind.

They played on in companionable silence until the midgame was well underway. Sam clearly dominated the center of the board and in a transparent move, took her bishop. "Damn, Noa…you're taking all the fun out of my inevitable and _crushing_ victory. At least make me work for it."

She offered Sam an apologetic half-smile. "Sorry…it's Liara."

"If all that gorgeous blueness was waiting for _me_ upstairs I'd be distracted, too." Sam smirked. "You lucky arse; I never had a chance did I?"

She laughed and shook her head, "Nope. None." An electric thrill ran through her. Liara was hers. She quirked a brow at her friend. "Though I'm sure your broken heart will quickly mend."

Sam gave her a dubious look. "I'm not so sure. Liara is spectacular…though a lovely pair of twins recently relocated to the colony. Sadly, they are not blue but god, either of them could make me feel better I'm certain." Her eyes narrowed in a saucy smirk. "Perhaps both."

Noa threw back her head and laughed. She loved Sam dearly but she was infinitely grateful they had never sparked. Sam was a great friend, but she would never be relationship material. She flitted like a bee from one woman to the next as if they were all flowers and she was determined to sample each one. To her credit, she was so laid back and likable her penchant for pursuit never seemed to generate any hard feelings when she made the inevitable leap from one relationship to the next. She'd never seen anything quite like it. She shook her head, still smiling. It would take a special woman indeed to snare Sam's heart and she wanted to be there when it happened.

"So what's going on with Liara? Is it her mother?"

"No…nothing like that. I think the Matriarch actually likes me."

"It's no wonder." Sam eyed her with amusement. "You're so clueless sometimes, Noa, I swear. You are _exactly_ the kind of person mothers want their daughters to meet. If I brought you home my parents would be over the moon!"

She tucked her chin and held up her hand, cheeks flaming, "Stop already. Damn…I'm not nearly as great as all that." She sighed, "It's not Liara really, it's Saren." She recounted the conversation she'd had with Benezia and Liara earlier.

"So we're going to the Citadel then?" Sam said, her tone matter of fact. Sam's simple acceptance reminded her how fortunate she was in her friends, that they would drop everything to traipse around the galaxy with her, heedless of risk or danger. Noa grabbed her last knight and encroached on Sam's king. As soon as she lifted her fingertips from the battered wooden horse, Sam's eyes lit with satisfaction. "Yes! I can't believe you actually fell for that, but damn it I'll take it! That was exactly what I was waiting for. Remind me to find something ominous and…."

Noa's heart began to pound against her ribs, the sound so loud inside her head it drowned out Sam's voice. "Fuck me…they're waiting."

"What?"

"Saren and Sovereign…they're waiting for Liara to act. The conduit doesn't matter because they know she's the Oracle…Sovereign must have found out about the spheres from Benezia…or maybe the beacon, or…"

Sam's eyes clouded with confusion. "Sorry…I'm not sure I follow."

Noa reached across the board and mated her own king with Sam's queen, a sick feeling spreading up from her gut as the ebony piece toppled. "The conduit is a ruse…a distraction. Sovereign doesn't need it because all he has to do is wait for Liara to make a move, and he'll be free to strike. Shit…we need to know where he is." She pushed to her feet, omni-tool flaring. "Jeeves, find Aethyta and send her to the lab. Don't let her say no…better yet, escort her to be sure."

There was a momentary pause. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn Jeeves was hesitant to seek out the matriarch. "As you wish, Noa."

The hologram surrounding her forearm winked out and she helped Sam clear the chess set, her mind racing.

"What are you going to do, Noa?" Sam said quietly. The look on Sam's face said she had a thousand questions burning on the tip of her tongue but that she knew her well enough not to muddle her thoughts by blurting them out.

"Whatever it takes to protect Liara," she replied. "I'm just not sure what that is yet. First, we've got to figure out where Saren is."

They hadn't quite finished tucking all the chess pieces back into the case when Aethyta burst off the elevator, her eyes drawn together in a scowl. Jeeves followed behind, the buzzing whir of his motorized joints a comfortingly familiar sound. "The next time you want to talk to me you can goddess damn well contact me yourself. There's something damned unsettling about receiving a 'formal request for my immediate presence' from a mech," Aethyta glowered at Jeeves. "Even if it does wear a tie."

"I'm sorry, Aethyta. It couldn't be helped." She sprinted across the room, activating her omni as she went and sent the Eden Prime helmet cam footage Aeian had forwarded to her weeks ago to the vid screen. Grabbing the screen, she twisted it to face outward where Aethyta could see it. When Sovereigns menacing shape appeared, she paused the footage and stared Aethyta in the eye. "We've got to stop Sovereign before Liara gets to the Citadel."

Aethyta looked at her as if she'd just sprouted horns. "Are you out of your mind?" She pointed at the screen. "Look at the goddess damn size of that thing! Stop it with what? My charm and your good looks?"

"Damn it, Aethyta…listen to me. When Liara touches the orbs, they deactivate," she waved her hands in the air, gesturing wildly. "They die, go dark…whatever. It happens as soon as she comes into contact with them…it's instantaneous. Aethyta, if the orb is blocking the signal to the keepers like Liara suspects, then as soon as she touches it…"

The deep indigo of Aethyta's skin faded as she paled. "…then Liara won't have time to engage the Intelligence before Sovereign activates the relay."

"Exactly. If Sovereign signals the keepers before Liara defeats the Intelligence, Saren and any geth he has will be the least of our problems. Thousands…tens of thousands of reapers are going to leap through the Citadel relay."

"What do we know about Saren's activity recently?" Sam asked, pausing long enough to give her arm a reassuring squeeze before brushing past her. She moved to the haptic interface and began tapping away at Noa's terminal like greeting an old friend. In a way it was; Sam had built her entire network from the ground up and knew it better than she did.

"I haven't heard anything from Tela but…" Aethyta toggled her omni. "Can you route this through your vid-comm locally?"

Sam nodded and entered the corresponding data set. Several minutes later, Vasir appeared on the overhead screen in a long flowing robe.

"I'm glad I'm dressed Aethy," Tela glared into the vid-comm. The Spectre looked tired and worn. "I wasn't expecting a damn conference call."

"Sorry Tela, but this is important. What's the latest on Saren?"

"Hang on." Tela lowered her omni, the view on the screen shifting to her chest and bouncing up and down in time with her stride as she walked.

"Well _that's _nice," Sam muttered softly, the grin in her voice earning her a surprised snort from Aethyta. A moment later the screen centered on Tela's face framed against the back of the sofa as she sank down onto the couch.

"Sorry…I had to get off my feet. It's been a long damn day." Tela sighed heavily.

"What's happened?"

"A goddess damn mess, that's what. While we were on Tuchanka, the Council received word of concentrated geth activity in Sentry Omega and deployed a salarian reconnaissance team to investigate. Once they hit the ground the Council lost communication with the team and the human Spectre was sent to offer aid. It seems our rogue Spectre has been very busy on Virmire. He turned one of the abandoned resorts there into a cloning facility for breeding a krogan army."

Noa's blood ran cold. She'd had run-ins with more than a few krogan mercs and pirates; they were vicious fighters. An army of krogan under Saren's control…no, Sovereign's control…would be be a disaster.

"Tevos has been in and out of meetings for the past two days straight with barely a break, but she's been feeding information to an encrypted channel on my omni. I'll forward the packet to you when we're done, but this is what I know so far.

The cloning facility was destroyed. The STG team rigged a nuke and with the aide of Spectre's crew, detonated it. Unfortunately, it appears Saren escaped the blast. The STG Captain…Kirrahe, just finished debriefing the Council, following depositions from two other witnesses recovered when the the ground team infiltrated the base, a captured salarian and an asari scientist. According to both witnesses, Saren was conducting experiments on the other captives…exposing them to some sort of signal emitted by Sovereign that results in indoctrination." Tela's brow lowered, "The asari scientist…Thanoptis… was actually helping him."

Aethyta nodded grimly, "It's how Sovereign controls his followers…that's what was wrong with Nezzie. She was indoctrinated by Sovereign."

Tela's eyes softened as her posture shifted from Council Spectre to concerned friend. "Was? Fuck Aethy…I'm so tired I forgot to ask how she's doing."

"She's not back to normal, but she's getting there. Liara fixed her right up." The pride and relief in Aethyta's voice was unmistakable.

On the screen, the red markings on Tela's cheeks curved as she smiled. "It's a relief to hear some good news for a change. I'm happy for you Aethy."

"I'll be lot happier when this whole mess is behind us." Aethyta said. "Why in the hell was Saren building a krogan army? Or experimenting on captives for that matter?"

"I think I know the answer to that," Noa interjected. "Benezia indicated Saren isn't fully indoctrinated. I think on some level he knows his days are numbered. My educated guess is that he was studying indoctrination to find a way to reverse it, and building an army worthy of facing the geth if he managed to succeed. The geth don't follow Saren…what can he possibly offer them? No, they follow Sovereign. I'm betting Sovereign will keep Saren around just long enough use him as a backup plan if needed…after that, he's done. He'll either get the full treatment like Benezia did, or he'll die." She lifted her shoulders in a shrug, "What happens to Saren isn't important. Sovereign is the real threat. Is the Council mounting _any_ kind of response since the action on Virmire?"

Tela snorted. "The Council can't mount the stairs without arguing, much less a response to Saren. The Council thinks Sovereign is a geth ship. Tevos is doing the best she can, but to date they have one audio file…the one in which Benezia incriminated herself…that makes reference to the reapers. Thanoptis's testimony regarding Saren's ship is…and guess who made _this _landmark decision," she deliberately mimed quotes with her free hand, "_speculative_."

Aethyta rolled her eyes. "Goddess I'd love to put my boot straight up Sparatus's spiny ass!"

Tela continued, "Any information they might have gotten from the beacon on Eden Prime died with the Spectre candidate that touched it. The human Spectre referenced a beacon on Virmire in the official report, but it was destroyed with the rest of the facility." Tela shook her head. "The Council is convinced the threat is from the geth, and so long as the Systems Alliance keeps mopping up geth incursions whenever they crop up, they're content to increase patrols around the relays that connect to Council space from the Terminus."

"And the Spectre?" Aethyta said.

"Grounded until the political shit storm she's brought on the Alliance for destroying yet another working prothean beacon settles down."

Noa tugged a lock of her hair and sighed in frustration. "It's not enough. Fuck. They could be anywhere. Until Sovereign is dealt with, our hands are tied. There's no way I'm letting Liara get anywhere near the Citadel until I can guarantee her safety." She looked into the vid-screen. "Vasir…the Citadel is a relay." Tela's eyes widened in surprise, but she continued before the Spectre could speak. "I'll have Jeeves prepare a data packet and forward all the information we've amassed so far…but its a relay, and Sovereign wants it. A word of advice…make sure you and Tevos have a rapid exit strategy in place in case things get ugly there…oh, and I'd quarantine that scientist. If she was working for Saren, there's a good chance she's indoctrinated, too. Maybe not completely but…well, you saw how Benezia was. She could still be dangerous."

Tela's eyes narrowed, "You're surprisingly thoughtful for a scientist…and a human."

"Yeah, well…with no way to act, thinking is kind of my thing right now."

"You should play chess with her sometime," Sam quipped.

Tela's brow rose, "Really? Maybe I will. Thanks for the warning, Noa. I look forward to the update and I'll make sure Tevos is looked after appropriately." She paused, "And now a word of advice for you. Don't underestimate Saren." The cold certainty in Tela's voice sent chills racing along her skin. "He was dangerous before he was indoctrinated, and now…if your assumptions are correct and he's aware his usefulness is reaching its end…he'll be desperate. His experiments failed, his krogan army is a charred smear of the sands of Virmire, and even though he's burned every bridge behind him in an effort to curry favor with Sovereign, he isn't without resources."

"Do you have any thoughts on where he might go?"

Tela shook her head, "No, not really. I think he'll either go someplace familiar to tend his wounds, figuratively speaking..as far as we know the bastard got away without a scratch… or he'll go after what he needs."

"But what he needs is the Citadel and he hasn't made a single…" Fear splashed in her gut, burning like alcohol on an open wound. "Or Liara. He needs Liara."

The call cut off abruptly, the screen shifting to static. She turned, her breath rushing from her lungs as Jeeves, who had been loitering inconspicuously on the other side of the room jerked to attention, his dual head lamps blinking violently in warning red. "Perimeter alert. Defense turrets online and active in grids twenty three, twenty seven, and nineteen. Communications compromised. Rerouting all communications to internal encrypted channels via secondary links. Establishing secure personal communications channel four…"

"Fuck coms Jeeves, lock us down! Now!" She spun on her heels, "Sam…!"

"Radar up, Noa," Sam replied. The overhead view shifted as Sam's fingers blurred against the haptic interface. "Christ…Noa…there's a ship…ships." Noa's heart pounded as she rushed to Sam's side and leaned over her shoulder to check the rader. "Get me some telemetry, Sam."

Jeeves droned on. "Primary and secondary security doors at all exits locked and sealed. Activating emergency protocol alpha one. Perimeter security mechs deployed. Resident security mechs deployed. System wide alerts sent. Shunting power from non-critical systems to lab…"

"Damn it, Sam what kind of ships?"

"Thermal ejection signatures and energy readings are consistent with a…a God…with a geth dropship and a smaller vessel..a cruiser maybe? Fuck."

_Liara. _She ran for the lift, activating her omnitool as she went. Aethyta followed, hot on her heels. "Sam! You know what to do. I'll get everyone down."

As the lift doors closed, Sam yelled, "Grab my toothbrush if you can!"


	28. Chapter 28 Countdown

**A/N Apologies for the delay! **Over the past week I experienced a computer catastrophe of sorts. Thanks to my most incredibly significant other's astounding technical skills, I was back up and running relatively quickly, but the loss of time was still frazzling.

* * *

**Countdown**

* * *

The lift shuddered and Noa threw out a hand to steady herself. The geth had seen right through the holographic field surrounding the entrance, and were now obviously pummeling the lower level emergency hatch with something heavy…very heavy…and Liara wasn't answering her omni.

She stared into Aethyta's eyes, which were remarkably calm despite the circumstances. "Jeeves sent out an alert but Benezia will need help. Get her and Aeian rounded up and get back to the lab as fast as you can…."

Aethyta's eyes flashed. "Don't tell me how to do my job, kid…I was a huntress when your people were still slapping at each other with sticks and slinging rocks."

She rolled her eyes. "Good point, but there's a hidden emergency egress in the lab. Emphasis on hidden…Sam will lead you to it." Her hands ached for a weapon, at this point she didn't care if it was a stick or a rock. She eyed Aethtya's covetously as she drew it. "Oh, and Aethyta…don't shoot the mechs. They're on our side."

As the lift doors swished open she was greeted by Garrus and James, both bristling with weapons behind a ring of LOKI mechs who stood resolute and ready, their pistols trained on the elevator doors. As one, the muzzles of their weapon lowered as she stepped off the elevator. _Thank god for IFF__'s. _

Garrus pressed her carnifex into one of her hands and an earpiece in the other as she stepped past the mechs. Her feet would have continued to propel her down the hall to her room, but Garrus stayed her with a firm hand. "What's the plan, Noa?"

"The plan is to get the hell out as soon as possible, those are geth down there and my security might be solid, but it's no match for their hacking ability…we've probably got ten minutes tops to hit evac." She slid the earpiece in as the floor trembled lightly under their feet. "Make that eight." She pulled her shoulder free of Garrus's hand. "I'm getting Liara. James, get to the lab and help Sam ready the shuttle. Garrus, go with Aethyta and help with Benezia. I'll meet you in the lab. Damn it _go!_"

She sprinted down the hallway, feet sliding as she rounded the corner past the library and took the stairs to her room two at a time. Bursting through the door, she came to a full stop at the sight of Liara, naked and deeply asleep on the bed. The asari lay sprawled on her stomach in an enticing array of lean, muscled limbs, catching up on the rest she'd missed the night before.

Noa allowed herself the briefest moment to soak in the sight of her. Until she'd reached adulthood, she'd had few things that were truly hers. She'd grown up poor but she'd been happy because she'd learned early not to focus on things that could be purchased, but on those things that were priceless by their very nature. The satisfaction of a new discovery, learning, family and friends… and now Liara. The tempestuous asari with her brilliant eyes and her aged innocence had become her beating heart, the most valuable thing that she'd ever felt was truly hers. She clenched her teeth so hard her jaw ached. Damn it, she protected what was hers.

Swallowing regret, she approached the sleeping asari and gave her a rough shake. "Liara! Sweetheart…wake up…we've got to go!"

Groggy eyes lifted, focusing first on her face then on the gun in her hand. Liara bolted upright. "What is it…what is happening?"

"The geth are here…they're…"

Liara leaped to her feet. "Mother!"

"Aethyta is getting her now…we're meeting in the lab." Grasping Liara's hand firmly she dragged her toward the closet, pausing just long enough to collect her omni from the top of the dresser. Yanking her through the door, she shoved the omni into Liara's hand and began rifling through her clothes, trying to find something for her to wear. When she turned, Liara was already half dressed…in her own clothes, a skin hugging set of white and blue commando leathers. Her mouth went dry as she watched Liara's fingers dance nimbly up the long row of clasps that lined their front._ Really Noa? Now?_

"I had Jeeves move some of my things while I showered," Liara quickly explained. Another shudder rippled through the floor, more powerful than the previous one. "Goddess!" Retrieving her own pistol from a nearby shelf, and another small object she couldn't quite see, Liara clipped the pistol to her hip and hastily shoved the object into a pocket.

As soon as Liara's omni was securely affixed to her arm, Noa tapped her com. "I've got Liara and we're headed down."

Garrus's voice crackled in her ear. _Spirits Noa, hurry! We__'re already here! They've breached the entrance! It won't be long until every mech in the place is compromised! _

"Lock the lift and seal it, Garrus…we'll come down through the back door. Head to the tunnel. We'll meet you." She moved to the back of the closet and crouched by what appeared to be a ventilation grate and quicky unclipped its metal covering.

"Noa…why are the geth here? What do they want?"

She tossed the grate aside, looking up at Liara. "I'm pretty sure they want you…I'll explain later." She swept her hand toward the opening. "Climb in."

"Noa…the lab is too far…it will take us too long to climb through…"

"It's a chute, Liara." She patted the rounded curve of the shaft floor. "Trust me, it's much faster than the lift." She waited while Liara swung her legs into the opening and scooted forward until she sat on its edge. "Cross your arms over your chest and keep your head down. I'll be right behind you."

Liara eyed the dark tunnel warily before turning to her. "Noa, I'm not certain this…"

She placed her hand firmly against the small of Liara's back and, unable to resist, planted a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. "I'll see you at the bottom, T'Soni…try not to scream on the way down." She shoved, hard, her eyes following the top of Liara's head until the chute curved and she disappeared from view. Seconds later Liara's high pitched squeal echoed up the spiraling metal tube as she reached the first drop. Quickly counting to ten, she launched in after her.

The ride down was fast, though not nearly as exhilarating as usual given their current circumstances. At the bottom, she slammed into a plush landing mat, tumbling a few times before bouncing into Liara who lay perfectly still on the edge of the thick cushion.

Lurching to her knees, she knelt over her. "Liara?" A quick blue hand snaked forward, grasping the back of her neck and pulling her mouth down. Heat like a raging inferno slammed into her as Liara's mouth fastened to hers, her tongue desperate and seeking. The kiss was fast and hard, a love-drunk punch to the gut, before Liara released her. When she pulled away they were both breathing hard. "Are you okay?"

"I am much better now though goddess…please do not ever do anything like that again."

Smiling, she rolled to her feet and extended her hand to Liara, pulling her to her feet when she grasped it. "It was fun…admit it."

An answering smile played across Liara's lips. "Perhaps." Liara tilted her head, scanning their surroundings. The chute opened into a roughed in tunnel, featureless save for strips of emergency lighting which traveled away in either direction. "Where are we?"

"Behind the lab." Keeping Liara's hand in hers, she tugged her to their right. From the direction of the lab they heard the muffled yet unmistakable sound of gunfire as the geth engaged the security mechs. "There's an evac shuttle this way. Come on…everyone's waiting. We've got to hurry."

They ran several hundred meters before the tunnel terminated in a broad, cylindrical bay whose ceiling rose several stories overhead. A square, utilitarian shuttle sat in the center of the floor with its side door thrown open. Garrus greeted them as they neared. "Glad you could finally make it," he said drily.

"Me too, Garrus…is everything ready?" Breathing heavily, she peered past Garrus into the packed shuttle. "Christ…I never planned to evac this many, but it can't be helped."

"Get your asses in here!" Aethyta barked.

"Everything's ready," Garrus confirmed. "Charges are primed."

She nodded as they strode toward the open door, helping Liara up and climbing in behind her before palming the hatch control. At her nod, Garrus banged his fist against the bulkhead separating the pilot's compartment from the hold, signaling to James they were ready. The shuttle lurched as the engines powered up and slowly lifted from the ground. There was a clatter against the roof, and everyone's eyes drifted upward. From the windowless cargo compartment they couldn't see the source of the sound.

"That'll be debris falling in from the ground level hangar opening overhead," she explained.

Aethyta eyed her coolly. "Just what the hell are you engaged in that you've got so damn much security?"

A bark of course laughter erupted from her throat. "Let's just say my father and I don't see eye to eye on many things. He's not what you'd call a nice person, and he's affiliated with some very powerful people who are as unscrupulous as he is. I might occasionally try to…thwart… his more nefarious activities." She shrugged. "I cover my tracks well so he doesn't know it's me…but he strongly suspects, so I've taken measures to ensure I'm protected. I never planned for geth, though."

The sluggish forward motion of the shuttle indicated they'd cleared the hangar bay door and she turned to Jeeves. "Ready detonation sequence…wait for my mark." She tapped her com. "James, let me know when we're clear of the blast radius."

"_Will do, Noa__…I'm keeping us slow and low. This damn thing flies like a brick_."

Liara, who had sidled over to her mother, turned abruptly. "Detonation sequence? For what?"

She swallowed past the unexpected lump in her throat. "The house, the lab…everything."

Liara moved to her side and grasped Noa's hand, winding their fingers together. "Noa…your home. I am so sorry."

Liara's brow furrowed adorably when she was worried. With her free hand, she reached up and smoothed the lines between her eyes with the pad of her thumb. "You're the only home I need Liara. Everything in the house is replaceable. You aren't. You're here…we're all here… and safe. That's all I care about."

Past Liara's shoulder, Aethyta scowled. "Goddess, you two are so damn sweet it's nauseating."

"Aethyta!" Aeian and Benezia spoke the single sharp reprimand in unison.

"_Noa…we've got trouble…the dropship is veering into orbit, but a smaller ship is coming our way, closing fast!"_

"Jeeves, blow it! Damn it, they must have picked up the heat signature from the shuttle's engines!"

Jeeves's lamp blinked. "Inadvisable, Noa. We have not…"

"Detonate damn it! This is a survey shuttle, not a fighter. We've got no shielding!" Their only hope was if the geth ship was caught in the blast or if the heat of the explosion masked their emissions long enough to allow them to escape. "Christ…hunker down everyone." Benezia, Sha'ira, and Dr. Chakwas were firmly strapped in but the small shuttle lacked additional restraints.

She wrapped one arm snuggly around Liara's waist to support her and closed her fingers around an overhead grip just as a massive concussion sounded in the distance. A fraction of a second later the shuttle bucked wildly, the inertial dampeners unable to compensate for the sudden steep yaw. Another concussion, closer this time, sent them pitching wildly in the opposite direction.

"James!"

"_Brace for evasive maneuvers_!"

"Goddess…" Liara eyes were wild with fear, stretched wide as they stared into hers. Across from her Aethyta and Aeian wore twin expression of grim determination, jaws clenched tightly, knuckles the palest blue gripping seat backs and hand grips in a losing battle to keep their feet as the ship rose sharply, then dropped so hard and fast her heels left the deck. Benezia's eyes were closed, but her skin was a map of taut lines stretched over the sharp angles of her cheeks. Damn it…every person she cared about protecting was in this death-trap shuttle…and one hit from the pursuing ship could end them. No. If she was going out, it would be with solid ground under her feet and her gun in her hand, fighting. She tapped her comm.

"James…take us down."

"Thank the spirits," Garrus muttered, his voice so soft she nearly missed it.

"_Roger that, Shepard__…hold tight!" _James killed the forward thrusters. The inertial dampeners screamed in protest at the abrupt loss of velocity and the sudden shift yanked her from her feet. As the overhead grip wrenched from her fingers, she released Liara, fearful of injuring her and careened into the forward bulkhead with the distinctive heavy smack of skin-bound muscle slapping metal. As she hit, something in her shoulder wrenched loose with an audible, cartilaginous grind. She cried out at the sudden, sharp pain and dropped to the deck like a stone, grateful for the cold metal against her cheek as sweat beaded on her skin.

"Noa!" Liara tumbled to her knees beside her. "Goddess, Noa! Are you…."

Liara's words were lost as the thrusters dramatically reengaged and James dove hard and fast for the surface. Strong, soft arms wrapped around her, cushioning her as the steep dive lifted them from the floor and backwards. Liara grunted against her cheek as they fell back down together.

"_Hang on everybody__…it's gonna be a rough landing!"_

"What in goddess fuck does he think we've been doing back here? Playing Skyllian Five and sipping cocktails?" Aethyta blurted. Benezia's didn't even correct her.

Noa clenched her teeth against the pain radiating down her arm and up into her neck. "I don't know about you, but I could use a drink right about now."

"Serrice Ice brandy…"

There was a terrible sound of ripping metal, and a leonine growl from the engines as the shuttle hit the surface, bouncing like a skipped stone across the ground. Liara's biotics flared, tingling across her skin as she wrapped them both in a shield to minimize the impact with the rear of the hold as they were thrown backwards. Their breath mingled in a joint sigh of relief when the shuttle finally slid to a grudging halt. Liara's arms loosened just enough to allow her to lift her head from where it had come to rest against her shoulder. The swirling glow of her biotics still licked their skin, and Liara looked at her as if she was the most precious thing she'd ever touched.

_Marry me. Spend the rest of your life with me. Bond with me__…whatever it takes for you to never stop looking at me exactly the way you are right now. _The words buzzed in her head like hand-cupped fireflies, glowing and soft. She freed them, unspoken. Now was most definitely not the time.

"I love you so damn much Liara T'Soni." She brushed her lips across Liara's and struggled to her feet, cradling her useless left arm against her chest as Garrus threw the door open, admitting a welcome rush of cool evening air. As he leaped to the ground, she peered out and swore softly. The shuttle had come to rest squarely in the center of a narrow grassy valley.

James and Sam rushed to the door from the cockpit. James fairly vibrated with residual adrenaline, and Sam had a thin laceration over her eye. Sam moved past her and into the shuttle with Liara to help the others while she scanned the horizon for any sign of the geth ship. It had no doubt shot past when James killed the thrusters, but it couldn't be far.

"Good job getting us to the ground in one piece, James…are you hurt?"

"No, I'm good…can't say as much for the shuttle though." He gestured to the rear of the craft where black smoke rolled from the drive housing and rose like a beacon into the still air.

"We can't worry about that now…we've got to get into cover." She turned as Garrus jogged back into view from the other side of the downed craft.

"I scoped a ledge about a hundred and fifty meters up the mountain. It's not ideal, but it gives us an open view of the valley and it's defensible."

"Start getting everyone up there, Garrus…and make it quick." She fought back a wave of nausea. Her shoulder throbbed mercilessly, the weight of her dislocated arm tearing at the soft tissue and muscle without the support of the joint.

Garrus peered into the shuttle, "I need everyone except for Dr. Chakwas to follow me…You too, Jeeves. Doc…you should take a look at Noa's shoulder. She's going to tell you she's fine; she's not."

"Traitor," she grumbled.

Everyone filed out through the door except Liara. "I am waiting with you."

She started to protest, but clamped her mouth shut when she saw the stubborn set of Liara's chin. She didn't have the energy to argue and if she was being perfectly honest, she felt better keeping her within her line of sight.

Karin's knowing eyes traveled over her face from the interior of the shuttle and she waved her back inside impatiently. She reluctantly stepped back into the shuttle, wincing as Karin gingerly touched the swollen misshapen joint and offered her a commiserating smile. "Ah, posterior dislocation. Tricky… but not impossible."

Less than a minute later, with Liara sitting on her chest to hold her in place, Karin deftly twisted her bicep and pushed. When her arm snapped back into place with a solid pop, the relief was instant and exquisite but there was no time to enjoy it. Liara helped her to her feet and she dusted her hands off, gingerly testing her arm. It was sore as hell… but it worked.

"We should really put your arm in a sling, Noa." Chakwas pulled a small bundle from her med kit and ripped it open. Noa shook her head, taking the sling from her before she could apply it and shoving it into a cargo pocket.

"Later…we've got to move and I need both my hands free."

They leaped from the shuttle and followed the bent grass left in the wake of the others. The grass tapered off as they neared the leaf strewn floor of the forest. They were almost under the cover of the trees when the wasp like shape of the geth cruiser crested the top of the hillside they were preparing to climb, engines roaring loudly as it swooped down toward the shuttle.

"Run!" She pushed Liara in front of her, propelling her toward the relative safety of the trees, freeing her pistol as she ran. They breached the forest and scrambled several yards in before she slid to a halt on damp leaves and ducked behind a gnarled tree, breathing hard. Liara, panting at her side, managed a feeble smile while Dr. Chakwas, crouching in the lea of a neighboring tree, held up her thumb to signal she was okay. Peering around the rough bark of the tree, she looked down at the ship hovering below as its hatch was opened and round black shapes began spilling from its side. The shapes unfolded, rising from the ground to reveal the unmistakable silhouettes of geth.

"_Noa?_" Garrus's voice sounded in her ear. "_We__'ve got company…"_

"I know…I see them. Are you in position?" There was a moment's pause as the cruiser set down and more geth climbed out.

"_Yes__…I've got you covered."_

"Good…I'm sending Liara and Dr. Chakwas your way." Beside her Liara stiffened. "Contact me as soon as they arrive."

"_Noa, I__'ve got your six…"_

"I know you do. You always do…but right now I need you to have Liara's. Keep her covered, Garrus."

"_Noa, don__'t be…"_

"Keep her safe, Lord Vakarian." She tapped her com before he could argue further and turned to Liara.

"I am not leaving you here!" Liara hissed.

"Liara there isn't time to argue. Trust me…I'll be right behind you." The lie ached worse than her shoulder. The geth weren't moving in their direction yet, but it was only a matter of time and Garrus's sniper fire would be useless once they reached the trees. "Dr Chakwas is unarmed and your mother needs her. I need you to get her safely to the others." _While I distract the geth._

"I..I.." Blue eyes, fraught with worry, darted up the slope before turning back to bore into hers. Liara's palm was cool against her cheek, her touch possessive and certain. When she spoke she sounded so much like Benezia Noa nearly smiled. "You will follow soon." It wasn't a question but she answered anyway.

"Yes." Below them, the geth milling around the shuttle had begun to fan out, searching. "Go Liara…hurry."

Liara's lips were as soft as the underside of new leaves in spring as they brushed hers. "I love you…goddess…be careful." Her steps muffled by the damp leaves, Liara crept to Karin's side and nudged her up the hillside.

Noa breathed a sigh of relief as their retreating forms were quickly swallowed by the dense foliage before pivoting back to observe the crash site. A squad of geth had begun marching their way across the grass, moving unerringly in her direction. Keeping her eyes on them she drifted farther back into the trees, scowling when the change in position carried the shuttle out of view.

"Garrus…I've got a squad approaching my position. I've got eyes on them but I can't see the others."

"_I see them. They__'re still with the ship. Damn it, get up here Noa."_

"Kind of hard for me to lead them away if I'm up there, Garrus," she quipped. She hoped she sounded nonchalant. She sure as hell didn't feel composed.

"_Spirits Noa! Don't be an idiot! Geth are networked! If you attract the attention of one, you'll have the attention of all of them!"_

She rested her cheek against a lichen covered trunk and swallowed hard. Her throat was dry, the bark rough against her skin, but it smelled green and alive. "I know…Jeeves will have sent a priority alert to the colony, Garrus, but we're too far away for anyone to make it here to provide any type of support and there are too many of them. Keeping Liara safe is priority. Don't give your location away unless you have to. Dig in and see if Jeeves can reach Winston or Wilson…if either of them survived the attack, they might be able to pick you up." She didn't want to think about how slim the possibility was that either LOKI was still functional, or functional enough to fly…assuming they could find anything intact enough fly. Christ, what a clusterfuck.

"_Noa__…Saren is here. He just stepped off the ship…bastard._"

She tensed, nails biting into the soft bark of the tree as she fought the urge to race forward and see the Spectre for herself. Mind racing, she pushed herself upright, keeping her eyes fixed on the point at which the geth would enter the woods.

_Saren_. The name caused her stomach to twist in had known. She had known he would be here as soon as they'd identified the ships. "Bastard is right. He's _not_ getting Liara. Do you have a clear shot?" Shit. She was going to show up on the geth's radar any second.

"_Negative__…he just stepped behind the shuttle He looks..different Noa. Something's not right."_

"Garrus, unless you are certain you can take him out, do not shoot. The geth don't know where you are. Do not draw any attention to your location."

"_Damn it Noa." _There was a brief pause_., _and a shuffling noise. "_Liara and Chakwas are here_."

Her eyes drifted closed as she breathed a slow sigh of relief. In the pit of her stomach, her heart began to pound in earnest, and for a moment she thought she might vomit. Despite her training, she wasn't a soldier or a commando; she was a scientist. She loved learning, exploring, experimenting…living. She loved the _shit_ out of living. _Well, the solution is simple, Noa__…just don't die. _

"That's my cue, Garrus…keep her safe." There was no need to explain who she meant. "If I make it through this fiasco, I'm going to marry her."

Crouching silently, she nudged a moss covered rock embedded in the detritus of leaves with the toe of her boot, knocking it loose from its loamy moor. Holding her pistol awkwardly in her left hand, she scooped the stone up in her palm. It's solid weight felt inexplicably right resting against her fingers, though not enough to stop her hand from shaking.

"_Noa__…damn it!" _

Through the foliage, the geth looked like leafless trees silhouetted against the sunny backdrop of the valley. Reaching back as far as she could from her crouched position, she hurled the stone, a swift side-arm throw that sailed under the overhanging branches. Her lips curved in a small smile of satisfaction as the rock cracked into the chest of the leading geth. The confused tilt of its head was so comical she almost felt guilty when her carnifex round smashed into its synthetic casing and it exploded in a spray of white. She was running before it's lifeless body hit the ground, making no attempt at stealth as she crashed through the undergrowth. Withing seconds, phasic burts of pulse rifle fire split the air, singeing the leaves nearby as the geth opened fire and then gave chase.

* * *

A/N2: Special thanks as always to OwelPost. If you are a living, breathing sentient creature and you haven't read Glacial Fire : GO! GO NOW! If you are a synthetic intelligence the file can be downloaded here: s/8252145/1/Glacial-Fire

This chapter is dedicated to Sirrocco who is awesome, and will likely appreciate the chute more than most.

Thanks to everyone for reading, for faving/following/commenting/reviewing. I am blown away by your kindness and support. Honestly, I'll never be able to say thank you often or well enough.


	29. Chapter 29 Bait

**Bait**

* * *

Liara crested the final ridge that led to the rally point, pausing to wait as Dr. Chakwas clambered over a fallen tree behind her. The medical bag slung over the doctor's shoulder snagged on a branch and she tugged it loose with a frustrated huff before slipping across the deadfall and ambling to her side with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, dear. These old bones are no longer accustomed to taking the scenic route, I'm afraid."

"It is quite alright, Doctor; we are nearly there." She pointed up the rise, masking her worry with a weak attempt at her own apologetic expression. The distance from where they had entered the forest to their destination wasn't great, but the climb was steep and Dr Chakwas was obviously flagging.

She briefly wondered how her mother had managed it; she'd been in no shape to make the ascent on her own. No doubt Aeian and Aethyta had resorted to biotics to aid her up the hill…Benezia would have considered it beneath her to permit James to carry her.

"We should hurry." She set off at a brisk pace, refusing to glance back in the direction from which they had come. If she did, her feet would soon follow and carry her back to Noa's side. Noa would be with them soon enough. For now, she had to get Dr. Chakwas safely to her mother.

The quiet under the canopy of trees was disconcerting, broken only by the muffled tread of their feet and rapid breathing. No birds sang, no small animals scurried or chirped. It was as if the forest held its breath, waiting…for what she couldn't be sure.

Ahead, James emerged from between two weathered slabs of stone that jutted from the ground like decayed teeth. He smiled as he saw them, but his smile fell as he scanned the trees behind them. "Where's Noa?"

She clipped her pistol to her hip as Dr. Chakwas slipped between the stones and onto the ledge. "Covering our retreat. She should be on her way any minute now." Anxious to see to her mother's comfort, she followed the doctor through the narrow passage.

Garrus had chosen well. The natural shelf was large enough to hold the group with a little room to spare, and flanked on two sides by tall chunks of rock that had obviously been attached to the side of the mountain long ago and had broken loose at some point and fallen, creating a divot in the slope.

Aeian and Aethyta hovered near Benezia at the rear of the depression. Dr. Chakwas was already at work, pressing a pouch of water into Sha'ira's hands while Sam and Jeeves stood off to one side, the glow from Sam's omni-tool casting a faint orange light across the mech's painted chest.

"Noa…damn it!"

At the harsh, flanged tone of Garrus's voice, her eyes whipped back to the entrance. She expected to find Noa there, sweaty from the climb and sheepish for taking so long and felt a stab of disappointment when she didn't. She glanced upward at Garrus. The turian had climbed a triad of worn rocks that fronted their position and knelt in their cover, viewing the valley below through the immaculately calibrated scope of his sniper rifle. As she moved to stand at the base of the stone, still looking up, she realized the admonishment had been delivered via a communicator. A feeling of dread spread through her chest, the pressure so sudden and intense her breathing grew rapid and shallow.

"Garrus? What is it?" She forced the words from her tight chest. _She said she would be right behind__…where is she? _The unmistakable sound of a single, crisp pistol shot echoing through the trees from below made her jerk stiffly. Rapid bursts of rifle fire quickly followed. _Goddess__…_ "Garrus! What is happening!?"

Still crouching, Garrus pivoted on his heel and looked past her. "Jeeves! See if you can reach any of the other mechs…see if Winston or Wilson are active, we need evac ASAP!"

Jeeves lamp blinked rapidly. "Wilson is not responding….Winston is active, however his mobile platform has been severely damaged."

"Initiate transfer to secondary unit, Jeeves." Sam's fingertips danced over her omni. "Sending authorization codes now."

"Initiating. Estimated time until secondary shuttle pick up seventeen minutes nine seconds."

Furious at being ignored, and frightened, Liara's biotics flared, sheathing her in a nimbus of blue. _Evac?_ _We cannot leave! Noa is not here! _"Garrus! Where is Noa? What is happening?" She couldn't see past the rocks to the valley below.

Garrus refused to meet her gaze, and his mandibles drooped so heavily they barely moved when he spoke. "She's…she's drawing the geth away from our location." Garrus's talons flexed and relaxed against the stock of his rifle, squeezing and releasing like a beating heart, but too slow. Hers was racing.

"She's what?" James spoke from somewhere behind her. His voice sounded far away and small, as if he yelled through cupped hands.

Noa wasn't here. Noa wasn't coming. She had heard enough. She headed for the passage.

"Liara wait!" Garrus called after her. "You can't go after her! Damn it, Liara, Saren is down there!"

She whipped around, her fury mounting with every second that passed until she felt lit from within. "And you would leave her to face him alone?" Garrus recoiled as if slapped. "I will not cower in safety while Noa acts as bait!" Her hands ached with the need to unleash the biotic energy they held. It crackled across her skin, snaking out in lashing tendrils as Aeian and Aethyta rushed to her side. For a moment, they shared a look, but it was gone before she could read it.

Aethyta extended her hand, but stopped short of touching her. "Damn it, kid! Stop and think! Saren is here for _you_! If you race off half-cocked you'll get all of us killed. You don't even know where she's gone!"

Her teeth grated together, jaws clenched so tight she was forced to spit the words out. "I can find her. I can _feel her even now!__" _She could. She'd instinctively reached out, unerringly following the invisible thread that bound them. The connection was stretched so thin it barely vibrated, but she could feel Noa…the distance between them growing. Overcome with an urgency that threatened to drive her mad she wadded her hands into fists and her body began to tremble violently. She needed…Goddess, she needed to reach Noa, to release the dark energy filling her, to…to…Her power swelled inside her, sweet and sickening as she scanned the expectant eyes turned in her direction.

_How _dare_ they abandon Noa! _She wanted to bind them all to her, to force them to feel her anger, her stark and near crippling fear…but a slim fragment of reason, dredged up from goddess knew where, reminded her it would be unforgivably wrong, a step that once taken could never be undone. Seething with fury and thrumming with the silky need to draw them in, she reluctantly heeded the internal warning. Every second wasted here was a second better spent reaching Noa. "You can assist me, or you can remain here. I am going to find her."

Aeain stood straight. "Alright ari. Let's go get her…but cautiously."

She nodded, a nearly imperceptible motion. Every muscle in her body was drawn tight with terror for Noa. Another shot rang out from below, much farther away this time. "Goddess…we must hurry." As she made to move toward the edge of the shelf, a sudden and unexpected opaque haze obscured her vision and her arms and legs refused to obey her. She was trapped…locked in a stasis bubble. _Who? _

Benezia drifted into view, her eyes haunted and dark. "No, Liara. I cannot permit you to do this. You must remain here…please."

_Mother? Why? _Inside the bubble, she fought to free the dark energy she'd accumulated. It sizzled and snapped against the barrier, a billowing swirl of blue pushing outward hard and fast.

Sha'ira stepped to Benezia's side, her hands raised. Her stasis bubble joined with Benezia's and tightened around her. "Your mother is right, nithua. Goddess, I am so sorry."

She could not speak. She could not move. Hot tears welled in her eyes, obscuring her vision further and she burned with betrayal and fear as she felt Noa slipping farther away. When Dr. Chakwas reached through the field, she barely felt the needle pierce her skin for the ache of dread wrapping around her cold heart and squeezing it, a berg of ice in a burning lake of anger. She finally managed one, slight motion. Alive with agony, her mouth stretched wide to scream as darkness claimed her.


	30. Chapter 30 Saren

**Saren**

* * *

Aethyta grunted, nearly dropping Liara when the stasis fields supporting her unconscious form broke. As her daughter tumbled awkwardly into her arms she hastily slid her fingers through the straps of her leathers, forearms burning as she struggled to keep her from hitting the ground. "Athame's ass, she's heavier than she looks! Damn it, Aeian give me a hand!" Somewhere behind her, Benezia sighed in disapproval. _Crap. _She hadn't meant to say that out loud.

In the aftermath of Liara's anger…her justifiable anger as far as Aethyta was concerned, everyone was somber and quiet, listening intently for the telltale report of gunfire rising up from the valley. So far they had heard nothing more than the initial volley. For Liara's sake she hoped that was a good sign. They'd know for certain if the geth returned to the cruiser. Grunting with effort, she hiked Liara up a bit higher.

"Aeian!" Aeian jerked as if waking from a stupor and positioned herself at Liara's feet. Before she could grasp her ankles, James stalled her with a gentle touch to her shoulder, and looked to Aethyta, silently requesting permission. She nodded once and he wordlessly scooped the asari into his arms. Cradling her gently against his chest, he carried her into the shade and laid her carefully beside Benezia. Aethyta appraised his efforts with a studied eye. Damn. Strong _and _silent. As he stood she slapped her palm against his arm.

"That strength of yours is gonna come in handy." She eyed the barrel of the weapon shipped against his back and smiled grimly. "And that assault rifle. Grab as many clips as you can carry kid, and tag Aeian. We're leaving in three."

Vega's eyes lit with renewed purpose. "Hell, yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" From the corner of her eye she saw Benezia's head spring up.

"Where are you going?" Even from her seated position on the ground, Benezia's voice rang with authority and a smile tugged at Aethyta's lips. The ease with which Nezzie issued demands had never ceased to amaze her, and the question was far more imperative than inquiring. Any other time she might have delayed her response just to irritate her, but not today.

"I'm going to go rescue that damn human before she gets herself killed."

"Aethyta you can't!" Not a demand this time but a plea. "It's too dangerous."

"Damn it, Nezzie…" Benezia lifted a hand to shade her eyes. With a sigh, Aethyta took a half step sideways, positioning herself so that she blocked the sun. In the shade provided by her shadow, she could see Benezia's face clearly. Nezzie looked strained to the point of breaking and she swallowed the retort sitting on her tongue. Despite Benezia and Liara's frequent admonitions about her language, she _had_ learned a thing or two over the years.

Still keeping the sun's rays at bay, she crouched in front of her bondmate. Benezia's hand stroked Liara's cheek, the repetitive, soothing motion as much a plea and a demand as her words had been. "Liara will understand why you stopped her, Nezzie. It was the right call. She was too pissed off; it would have made her careless." She glanced at her daughter and shook her head. "If I live_ two_ thousand years I'll never understand why you gave her my temper."

Benezia hastily scrubbing a hand across her eyes and blinked back tears. "When you are angry you are so…certain Aethyta and…more often than not, you are right." At her look of surprise Benezia's eyes narrowed. "For the record, I am not ever repeating that." The damp affection in her voice took the sting from her words. "I wanted Liara to have that same fierce conviction, that same fire….I…" Benezia's eyes squeezed shut, and her shoulders shook as she pressed the back of her hand to her mouth.

"Hey…" Leaning in, she pulled Benezia's hand away and cupped her chin between her palms, tilting it up so their eyes met. "Our girl _is _fierce…and strong, and thank the goddess she's got your intelligence to balance it out…most of the time." She wiped Benezia's tears away with her thumbs. "When it comes to that damn human though, she can't seem to think straight…which is why _I _have to go after her."

Tears still welled in her eyes, but Benezia still managed to regard her coolly. "Noa has a name, Aethy. It is not 'that damn human'." Aethyta couldn't stifle the quick burst of laughter that bubbled from her chest. _Goddess help me, Nezzie and Liara are just a-damn-like_.

"I know her name."

"Then please use it, Aethyta." Benezia gently nuzzled her cheek against her palm. "Noa is risking her life to buy us precious time."

"Which is just another reason I've got to go. Getting away won't mean sh…" She paused, corrected herself before she swore. Benezia had always made her a better person."It won't mean anything if Liara wakes and Noa's dead. We've got to try and you know it." She struggled to find the right words. "I may not like it, Nezzie but they've got something." It wasn't the relationship per se that she didn't like, it was the knowledge that caring for Noa the way she did made Liara vulnerable in new ways with which the young asari had no experience. Ways _she_ understood all to well for the hurt they could cause. "Liara looks at Noa the same way you used to look at me."

"Used to? I…" Benezia eyes scanned her face, her expression oddly…reluctant, as if worried she might disappoint her in some way. She couldn't tell. Benezia's emotions had become a closely guarded secret, making her frustratingly difficult to read. There had been a time when the set of Nezzie's shoulders or the angle of her chin had been enough for her to gage her mood, when they had been so attuned to one another the meld had become almost redundant.

When Benezia moved to finish her thought Aethyta silenced her by resting the pad of her thumb against her lips. Nezzie's lips were soft and dry, her breath warm. They would talk. They _needed_ to talk… not about Saren, or reapers, or even Liara…they needed to talk about _them. _She knew what _she _wanted, but since being freed from Sovereign's indoctrination, Nezzie had been less than forthcoming. Damn if her lips weren't soft.

Aeian's shadow silently eclipsed hers, announcing her readiness to depart. "We'll, uh…we'll talk later." _Crap_. Apparently Nezzie could still turn her into a stuttering fool. If she wasn't careful, she was going to ruin her credibility as a hard-ass. "If we want to have a shot at saving Noa's sorry ass, we've got to go."

Benezia pulled Aethyta's hand away and gripped it between her own, her blue eyes imploring. "Be careful, Aethyta. Please, do not do anything rash, or…"

Aethyta trapped Benezia's mouth under her own, thrilling at the soft, surprised gasp that escaped her lips and the way their mouths still fit together perfectly. She lingered until Benezia's lips relaxed against hers before pulling away, smiling. "Heh. Always was the best way to get you to stop talking."

"Really?" One perfectly shaped brow arched imperiously in a timeless expression she had no problem reading. "I can think of several others."

Behind her, Aeian snorted laughter, earning her a quick elbow to the shin. Aeian yelped and Benezia shook her head with disapproval though her eyes shone with mirth. A knot Aethyta hadn't been aware of loosened in her chest and she took a deep breath for the first time since they'd returned to Horizon.

With a parting touch of her hand, she pushed to her feet, seeking the turian who had returned to viewing the valley below. Waving James and Aeian over, she strode to the base of the rock on which he perched. "How does it look?"

"The remaining geth have moved off in pursuit and…I lost sight of Saren."

Sam wandered over, her gaze trailing expectantly from face to face."ETA for evac is ten minutes, Garrus." The human stood with her arms wrapped around her torso as if holding herself up and her usually sparky eyes were dark with worry. "Are you…?"

Aethyta nodded. " Yeah, we're going after Noa."

"Thank God." Sam seemed to shrink in relief, arms unwinding to hang limply at her sides for a moment before nervous fingers began plucking anxiously at a loose thread on her shirt. Aethyta watched as it unraveled, growing longer and longer as Sam continued to pull. If she didn't give the kid something to do, she'd be topless before the evac shuttle arrived.

"Do me a favor, will ya? Help Dr. Chakwas keep an eye on Liara until the transport arrives. She's going to be madder than a stiffed merc when she wakes. If you're lucky, it won't be until you get to the colony." Sam hung on every word she said, alternately nodding and blinking. Aethyta wasn't accustomed to offering reassurances but these humans seemed to need them. Maybe she was getting soft. "We _will_ find her, kid." Sam offered her a shaky smile. As she departed to join the others, Aethyta eyed Garrus. "And you…get everyone the hell out of here safely, understood?"

Garrus nodded, and activated his omni-tool. With a few quick swipes a topographical map appeared. "Noa knows the surrounding terrain." He pointed at a section of the map. "There is a system of caves that winds down into this hill. I'm betting she'll go there." A flash of color caught her eye, and she turned, scowling when she realized it was the LOKI's tie. He whirred and clicked when he moved in a way that grated her nerves.

"Noa's IFF is equipped with a tracking chip."

"Well goddess damn it why didn't you say so earlier?"

Jeeves took a small step backward. "The chip must be manually activated; it's signal has just come online."

She shook her head in disgust. "Just send us the coordinates. We'll find her." She leveled her gaze at the turian. Even though it couldn't be helped, she hated leaving Benezia and Liara. "I'm entrusting you with…"

Garrus stalled her with a raised hand. "I'll keep them safe. Go get Noa."

* * *

Aethyta held up her hand, signaling a halt to James and Aeian who trailed several meters behind her. They had followed Noa's tracking signal for nearly two clicks, and as the turian had predicted, it led them to a cave. En route, she'd worried they would find themselves standing _over_ the signal, with Noa literally under their feet and goddess knew how much dirt and rock separating them. Apparently the human…_Noa, _she corrected herself…had more common sense than she credited her with. The tracker led them right to the opening. Noa must have dropped it somewhere among the rocks nearby.

Keeping low, she peered over the lip of a high berm that lay between the edge of the woods and a narrow, fast moving river. She was glad they'd ended up on the right side of the water…there was no way in hell she was going in that frigid mess… but gaining entry to the cave undetected would be damn near impossible.

The cave mouth was little more than a hole angled down into the ground and set back under a sparsely wooded hillock. The path that led to the opening was a flat, open wash of smooth grey pebbles lacking any cover. A single geth trooper stood resolutely by the entrance, head down and weapon at the ready. She watched it closely from under a furrowed brow.

Geth…hell, any synthetic…made her crests ache. They were just so…sterile and lifeless, so devoid of emotion. They couldn't be pissed off or made to feel fear, and damn, if that didn't reduce her arsenal of abilities by nearly half right there. She'd never been the biggest or the baddest, but she knew how to get under her foe's skin and force them to make mistakes. Geth weren't so easily duped. _Damn geth! _

Aeian crept quietly to her side to peer out alongside her, hissing when she saw the sentinel. "Damn geth!"

Smug pride burst in Aethyta's chest. "That's my girl."

"How do you want to approach?"

"I'm working on it…the problem with geth is, if you alert one, you've alerted them all."

James sidled up, his hand already reaching for an impressive knife strapped over his boot. "I've got this."

"You can't stab a geth!" Aeian hissed.

Vega smirked. "Watch and learn, chica. Watch and learn."

While Aethyta and Aeian waited, James crept silently back into the trees. He appeared a few moments later on crest of the hillock just above the geth's position and continued to slink forward, his knife clutched and ready.

"Fifty credits says he can't do it," Aeian whispered from the side of her mouth.

"I'll take that bet. That boy's talents are wasted; he hasn't made a sound." She held her breath as James slowly lowered himself to his stomach and stretched out his arms. When he finally made his move, he was so fast she nearly missed it. Clutching the thick bundle of cables protruding from the back of the geth's head with his free hand, he simultaneously sliced through them with his knife. The blade parted the casing and wires like they were made of paper. Less than a second later he stabbed the knife deep into the side of the matte black neck, the muscles in his arm bunching as he wrenched the blade backwards. The synthetic fell in a spray of milky white fluid, landing with a metallic crunch against the rocky ground.

Right at the feet of Saren Arterius.

The ex-spectre emerged from the gloom of the cave and with an angry thrust of his foot, kicked the fallen geth aside. Overhead, James made it to his feet, but in his haste to draw his weapon, alerted Saren to his presence. Saren spun, slamming a powerful biotic blast into the human that sent him sailing backwards and into the trees.

Aethyta clamped her hand onto Aeian's wrist, holding the maiden in place as she attempted to dart forward. "Be still! He hasn't seen us!" Vega was no soldier, but he was smart, and solid as a damn krogan. He would be fine. As much as it galled her, their priority was Noa…assuming she was still alive.

Two geth slid from the cave and Saren stabbed the air with a talon, pointing at the space James had just occupied. "Find him. Kill him."

Aethyta maintained her grip on Aiean's arm, the contact serving to prevent herself from attacking as much as the younger asari. Clenching her teeth, she fought the urge to charge forward. Fury burned in her chest and her head itched to ram the shiny metal plating of Saren's face. This was the traitorous bastard that had hurt her Nezzie and she wanted to warp him into oblivion… but something was wrong. Saren Arterius was not a biotic. She studied him through narrowed eyes.

The rogue spectre had been upgraded. What appeared to be a geth arm had been fused to his shoulder and fixed into place with awkward plates that looked slapped on. Saren's chest was a cage of menacing cables and glowing tubes sliding into and through his armored torso at bloody insertion points. The spectre prowled the clearing in small tight circles like a man possessed, restless and dangerous.

Beside her Aeian's breath rushed out in a soft hiss. "Noa."

Saren jerked to attention as Noa was half dragged and half carried from the cave. The human slumped between two geth, barely supporting her weight on shuffling feet. Her arms were smeared with dirt and blood, her hands mottled by too tight restraints. As if enraged by the sight of her, Saren rushed forward, wrapping his fingers in her hair and yanking her head sharply back. Aethyta winced. Noa's face was a ruin of bruises and blood.

"Tell me where she is!"

Noa sneered and spat a mouthful of blood at the spectre's face. "Bite me, you tin-can piece of…"

Saren's sharp backhand snapped Noa's head to the side. The cold slap was enunciated by the rapid burst of nearby rifle fire. The sound was distinctly _not_ geth. James. The need for stealth was gone; it was time to move. She freed Aeian's hand. "You know what to do, kid."

They burst from cover in tandem, catching Saren and the geth completely off guard. Saren whirled, throwing his hand forward and ejecting a blast of dark energy as his free hand reached for his pistol. She and Aeian split; each sprinting in opposite directions as the ground erupted in a spray of rocks from the force of the impact. Disbelief flickered across Noa's battered features when she saw them, but she wasted no time, wrenching herself free from her captor's grasp and dodging as Aethyta and Aeian's combined biotics went to work on the geth, quickly eliminating them.

"Damn it!" Aethyta swore when more of the synthetics began pouring from the cave.

The next few minutes were a blur. With Noa unarmed, she and Aeian were pushed to their limits fending off the joint attacks of the geth, while dodging Saren's relentless slams. What the Spectre lacked in finesse, he made up for with raw power and determination. His attacks became steadily more desperate as one by one, the geth fell. Aethyta frowned as yet another of her rounds bounced harmlessly off Saren's barriers, then dashed away across the rocks as he returned fire.

A low, flanged growl tore from Saren's throat as he pursued her, driving her toward the river. "Why do you resist? Sovereign cannot be defeated but he can be…appeased. If I bring Liara to Sovereign…if she bows before it, millions of lives could be saved!"

"You are twice a fool if you believe that." Noa said grimly through split, swollen lips. Blood dripped steadily from a deep gash on her arm, painting the stones underfoot with bright spots of red as she hobbled closer. Her knuckles were white against the over-sized grip of James's pistol. It was only then Aethyta noticed the wash had grown quiet save for the rush of the river flowing behind her. In the background, James knelt beside an obviously depleted Aeian. He must have freed Noa. "Sovereign _can _be defeated. It doesn't want Liara as an ally; it wants to control her. The same way it controlled the Matriarch. The same way it's controlling you now." Saren faltered as Noa's words hit a nerve.

"I was aware of the potential risks when I joined Sovereign and I was willing to accept them for the benefit of the galaxy. To_ save lives_." At Noa's answering laugh, Saren's talons curled into fists. "The protheans resisted and look at what happened to them! They were utterly destroyed!" Saren paused, making a visible effort to calm himself. "If the protheans had joined the reapers, if they had stopped fighting them…"

"Their annihilation would have been more swift," Noa finished, shaking her head. "I almost feel bad for you. _Almost_. You actually believe the lies that thing has been feeding you. Wake up, spectre! You are a _tool_, and you've outlived your usefulness. You'll be discarded like the rest. The reapers cannot be bargained with. They are interested in one thing only: the destruction of all organics. Haven't you ever asked yourself _why _they retreat? _Why _they eliminate all signs of their existence?"

"No! There are signs if you know where to look! If you are worthy enough to see them!" Saren took a step forward and Noa tensed, lifting her pistol to aim straight for the turian's head. Saren paused, and slashed at the air with his hand. "You understand nothing! For such a weak species, you humans are remarkably arrogant." Saren tilted his head to consider Noa through narrowed, glowing eyes. "Foolish human. Even the batarians recognized the potential. _Twice_ they've stumbled across the means to aid the reapers…"

Noa's pistol dipped. "Twice?"

Saren laughed contemptuously. "You flounder in the dark. It would be amusing if it wasn't so pathetic; but you are not alone. The batarians went to great lengths to hide their discoveries, not even knowing what they had. That fool Had'dah thought he had discovered a derelict ship. He tried to tell me it would take years to understand his research, but once I encountered Had'dah's _artifact_, Sovereign quickly recognized my potential. Of all of them, it chose _me _to act as its agent."

Noa's pistol snapped back up. "That just means you were the best choice for a puppet. Sovereign has no more use for you; but I do. You are coming with me to the Citadel and you're going to tell the Council what Sovereign really is and what it plans. You are going to tell them the truth. Then maybe, if you are very lucky, they'll grant you a swift, merciful end." Noa's eyes were death. "I won't." If Aethyta had any doubts before, they were erased in that instant. Noa was a perfect matchfor her girl.

James and Aeian drew closer to surround the rogue spectre, their weapons drawn. Saren raised his own gun, jerking its tip back and forth between them in broken, panicked motions. "No! You do not understand! Sovereign needs me!"

"It doesn't need _you_, Saren. It needs my kid, and it's not getting her." Biotics snaked across Aethyta's skin as she readied herself to erect a barrier. She kept her eyes firmly locked onto Saren's pistol hand. If his talons so much as twitched she'd be all over him. "Neither are you, you unctuous, speciesist dick."

"You're indoctrinated, Saren," Noa said.

Saren jerked as if kicked. "No, I…"

"That's why you can't bring yourself to consider acting against Sovereign's directives. You _think _you're immune, but you're not. You think Sovereign has chosen you, spared you, but it hasn't."

Saren lowered his pistol and strode forward until the barrel of Noa's weapon pressed against his armored chest. He loomed over the human. "You are wrong, human! Listen to reason…"

A harsh sound of exasperation clicked against Noa's teeth. "Christ, and you call _me _arrogant. Look at what you have done! You've committed crimes against humanity, against the galaxy and its citizens…the very galaxy you swore to protect! " She rammed her pistol against his chest, enunciating her words. "You invaded my home! You've given up everything you believed to pacify a _machine _that will destroy you. That wants to destroy us all!"

"NO!" Saren yelled and reared back as if to strike out.

Undaunted, Noa stepped so close to the spectre she was forced to crane her neck back to look into his eyes. "You know I'm right, or you wouldn't be here. You came to get Liara on the slim chance you could reestablish your value to Sovereign, but you're desperate because you know Sovereign values nothing. You were a _spectre_, Saren. I know turians…that has to have meant something. Come with me to the Citadel, make some effort to redeem yourself by helping us."

Saren's arms dropped limply to his sides and his shoulders rounded as if deflated. "I can't."

Noa stepped back, the unforgiving set of her chin at odds with the sadness in her eyes. "I pity you, spectre. You truly have no honor left.." When Noa's pistol snapped up, her eyes were devoid of emotion. "I offered you a choice, but now you're out of options, Saren. I'll drag you to the Council if I have to."

At Noa's words, Saren seemed to unravel, grasping his head between his hands and emitting a mangled cry. A moment later he threw his hands down. The mismatched armor of his shoulders rose and fell rapidly as he sucked in a jagged breaths. His glowing eyes were flat, as empty of emotion as a synthetic. "I don't want your pity, human. My honor is not yet spent, nor am I out of options."

Aethyta watched Noa's eyes stretch wide, her hand reach forward. Too late. Saren tucked the muzzle of his pistol under his chin and fired without hesitation. The back of his head exploded in a spray of gray and blue, and Saren fell, striking the ground with a sick, dull smack.

"No!" Noa yelled, falling forward to clutch the front of Saren's armor. "God _damn _it! You coward!"

Aethyta slid her pistol into its holster, fighting anger and disappointment. _Not once. I didn__'t get to head-butt the sorry bastard one damn time. _

Noa pushed away from the dead turian, slowly struggling to her feet and ripping a hand through the tangled locks of her hair. "We are well and truly fucked!" she spat. She began pacing away along the edge of the river. The wound on her arm had finally stopped bleeding, but the kid was obviously nearly done in. As Aethyta stepped forward to go to her, James placed a restraining hand on her arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. This is how she processes. Just give her a minute to do her thing. She'll be fine."

Aethyta cocked her head to the side and gave the human an appraising look. "There's more to you than meets the eye, kid…though goddess knows there's enough of that too." She laughed when James blushed then turned to Aeian with a smirk. "You owe me fifty credits."

Aeian shook her head. "We've got a dead spectre at our feet, a bat-shit crazy evil machine that wants to kill everyone lurking goddess knows where, and we are in the middle of nowhere…and you're worried about credits?"

"Stop trying to wheedle your way out of it, T'Goni," Aethyta admonished. At James's confused expression, she explained. "She bet you couldn't take out that geth without alerting the others…how did you know how to do that, anyway? There haven't been geth outside the veil since well before you were born."

James's massive shoulders shrugged. "I didn't really. I mean, it was only a hunch but they've only got _one_ big tube sticking out of their heads, so it kind of made sense that cutting it would do _something._"

Aeian burst into laughter as Aethyta's face fell. "You have got to be kidding me. You gambled on a hunch?"

James shrugged again. "I didn't really expect synthetics as advanced as geth to be so obvious, but it seemed worth a shot…and it worked." His lips curved in a slow smile. "In the end, it didn't matter anyway… and it earned you some credits."

"I'm not saying I disagree, especially with the credits, but it was risky."

The crunch of stones underfoot drew her attention and she turned as Noa hobbled over. Her hair was damp from where she'd rinsed her face and arms in the river, washing away most of the blood and grime. It hadn't helped. A gaping laceration lay over her cheek, and the side of her face sported deep red contusions that gave every indication of eventually turning into spectacular bruises. She walked hunched to one side and Aethyta imagined the rest of her was equally battered. She had to give the human…_Noa,_ credit though. She'd stood toe to toe with a damn spectre and hadn't flinched. She had serious doubts Liara would be as impressed.

Noa's body was flagging, but her eyes were intent. "Have you ever had a hunch about something, but because it's so obvious you discredited it?"

Beside her, Aeian snorted laughter. "Never," Aethyta replied firmly.

Noa's eyes widened in surprise and she winced, gently touching her face as the motion pulled her torn cheek "Really?"

"No, of course not really! I have doubts right along with everyone kid, but half of being a commando is learning to trust your gut." She elbowed James. "The big guy here knows what I'm talking about." She studied Noa closely. She would bet another fifty credits that if thinking generated sound, Noa's brain would sound very much like Jeeves's motorized joints. She could practically see the gears in the human's head grinding. She shook her head and sighed."You think too damn much. Sometimes you have to take the plunge and figure out the science later."

"I wasn't kidding when I said we were screwed. Sovereign is out there, and it's waiting for Liara to make a move. With Saren gone, we've got nothing to convince the Council Sovereign isn't a damn big geth. They've got no reason to rally fleets or take any additional steps and we've lost our only method of tracking its activities."

"So what do you suggest? This stalemate won't last forever."

Noa offered her a crooked grin, and winced again. "I might have a hunch."


	31. Chapter 31 A Question of Intent

A Question of Intent

* * *

Liara woke slowly. The sand paper of her eyelids blinked rapidly in a motion more irritating than soothing as she squinted up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Rainbows of shimmering fabric fanned outward from the center of the ceiling and billowed along its surface. For a moment, she had the distinct impression she'd woken in a tent, but the dimensions were wrong. The ceiling was too high. The air lacked humidity. The surface on which she rested was too soft. Light perfume tickled her nose; its scent vaguely familiar. The walls were dark pink.

A muffled noise drew her attention. Her head felt inordinately heavy, but after several failed attempts she managed to lift it just enough to investigate. Sam's blurry shape slowly came into focus. She looked frightened, but determined to smile regardless. Why was Sam frightened? Why were her thoughts so muddled? Where was Noa?

_Noa! _She jerked upright. The medicated haze clouding her thoughts was sheared away by fear so profound the lighting in the room seemed to dim. Her mother had stopped her from going after Noa. The doctor had sedated her. Saren had been there. Her lungs constricted and a grating wheeze whistled through her throat when she tried to breathe. Sam's panicked eyes stretched impossibly wide as she rushed forward, screaming for Dr. Chakwas.

"Damn it, Liara! Breathe!" Sam grabbed Liara by the shoulders and shook her until her teeth snapped together. Liara's traitorous lungs decided breathing was worth the effort, and she gratefully sucked in a deep breath just as Dr. Chakwas strode into the room. She held a poorly concealed syringe cupped in her hand. At the sight of the syringe, molten fury consumed her. She welcomed it. She let it swallow her fear until it burned in the center of her chest like a sun. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and lurched to her feet, snapping the shimmering sleeve of her barriers in place before Dr. Chakwas could inject her with more sedative. Beside her, Sam scurried away while the doctor paused, her expression thoughtful as she studied her.

"Well, I see you're awake dear." Liara watched through narrowed eyes as the doctor deliberately tucked the syringe into the front pocket of her tunic, patted it, and dropped her arms to her sides.

"Where is Noa?" Her voice was glacial, but for a moment fear took over, and the barrier cloaking her skin rippled.

"Sh..she's fine, Liara," Sam stammered. "She'll be here soon. Two hours at most."

"Define _fine._" Her words were for Sam, but she kept her eyes trained on Dr. Chakwas. If she was asari, Karin would be a matriarch and Liara felt an instinctive compulsion to defer to her. Even so, if the doctor came near her with that needle she wouldn't hesitate to throw her out the window.

Sam sidled into view and took a small step backward, placing herself just behind the doctor's shoulder. She no longer appeared terrified, but she bounced anxiously from foot to foot.

"We won't know the extent of her injuries for certain until she arrives," Dr. Chakwas explained calmly, "but she's refusing to go to the clinic which tells me they probably aren't life threatening," Liara's barriers rippled again as her heart squeezed painfully.

"_Probably?_"

"According to your father she's badly bruised and likely has several fractured ribs. I will do a scan and assess for internal damage as soon as she gets here. It won't take but a moment."

She nodded but refused to give in to relief until she had seen Noa for herself. Her eyes flicked across the room. The walls were fuschia, with smatterings of gold. An abundance of brightly patterned pillows adorned the bed. "Where am I?"

"You're at my flat. Well, my prefab," Sam explained. Her fingers tugged at each other in small pecking motions. "At the main colony. The others are downstairs except for Aethyta, Aeian, and James; they went after Noa. We…that is to say, your mum thought it would be best to keep you sedated until they were back so we put you up here. _Not _how I'd imagined getting you in my bed but…" Sam's cheeks flushed. "I said that aloud didn't I? Sorry." Sam eyed her warily. "It's just that your biotics are a bit…terrifying, actually, and I really don't relish the idea of redecorating." She paused. "Or injury."

Liara took a step back and dropped her barriers, though she kept her biotics charged. After a moment's thought she released the dark energy spooling in her hands. Dr. Chakwas had made no further move to touch the syringe and Sam was no threat.

"Thanks." Sam's shoulders rounded with relief. "As I said, the shuttle should be arriving soon. I'm right on the edge of the colony so they can skip the port and drop right in. Oh, and Saren is dead apparently which seems to me to be a rather good thing, though James says Noa's a bit bent out of shape about it."

She sucked in a breath. Saren's death meant Sovereign was now untraceable. They would have no knowledge of its location or intent. She glanced down at her bare wrist. "Where is my omni-tool?" She had a ludicrous urge to confirm the time. If she was correct, they didn't have much left. "How long have I been here?"

"Your omni's on the table just there," Sam pointed to a low nightstand beside the bed. "You were out for nearly twelve hours. We'd hoped to have Noa back when you woke. We'd no sooner arrived than Garrus went back to pick them up. It's breakfast, actually. Are you hungry?"

Her stomach recoiled at the thought of food and she pressed a hand to her middle. She didn't need to eat. She needed to see Noa.

Dr. Chakwas stepped forward, her eyes clouded with concern. "Are you alright, Liara?"

She retreated a step. For a moment, she'd thought the doctor was going to touch her. If she did, Liara would shatter into a thousand pieces. She felt brittle with anger and fear, and too near to breaking. She nodded stiffly.

"Come along Sam, let's go see what we can put together in your kitchen."

Sam's gaze lingered. "Are you sure you're alright? You look…"

"I am fine, Samantha," she snapped, immediately regretting it. She softened her voice. "I am fine, thank you. And…thank you for the use of your bed. I would not hurt you, Samantha."

The corner of Sam's mouth tugged up. "No worries. We didn't know what to expect when you woke, and you really know how to scare a girl." Sam pointed to a door at the side of the room. "The bathroom's just through there if you want to freshen up."

* * *

When meditation didn't work to calm her, Liara opted for a shower. She'd have no choice but to put her leathers back on when she was done, but at least she could wash away the residue of her exertions from the evening before, even if she couldn't wash away the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

The toilet and the lavatory huddled close together in the corner of the bathroom as if their presence was only tolerated out of necessity. The remainder of the space was occupied by an enormous walk in shower. Liara unfastened the catches on her leathers and stripped them off, her motions mechanical. She folded her clothing, placed it by the sink, and entered the shower.

Within a few minutes, steam filled the room, billowing out faster than the environmental fan could pull it away. Despite the near scalding water she felt frigid, carved from ice frozen so solid melting was an impossibility. She stood stiff and straight in the center of the shower and let the water pummel her.

She wanted everything to be over. She wanted to travel to the Citadel, meet the Intelligence once and for all, and be done with it.

Perhaps another in her place would act in service to the greater good, for the benefit of the galaxy. She could not. She wasn't a fighter and if she stopped to think too long about Levi'athan, the Intelligence, the reapers…the scope of the threat and the ramifications of failure…it was all she could do to suck air into her fear-frozen lungs. The terror was too large for her to contain. For the sake of her sanity, she contextualized it in the only manner that allowed her to remain functional. She focused on the threat to_ her_, rather than the threat to the galaxy. She had never had so much to lose. In a short span of time she had gained everything: a life, a place, a purpose, her mother and father, friends who truly cared for her and for whom she cared, her ari…_Noa_. Fear coiled in her gut and writhed like a serpent.

Responsibility had neither shape, nor substance but its weight was massive and carrying it left her exhausted. Noa's actions had been a tipping point. She had faltered, lost her grip, and the weight had nearly crushed her. Trapped in Benezia's stasis field, she had never felt so powerless and afraid. She'd never experienced such all-consuming, futile rage or acute despair. It shamed her to admit it, but she wasn't selfless like Noa or her parents. Even in the midst of her fury, a rational part of her understood they had acted out of concern for her safety, but it didn't make their actions hurt any less, or make her fear any less palpable. Goddess Athame forgive her, if anything happened to Noa she would be lost. If anything happened to Noa, the galaxy and everything in it would be lost. And the foolish human had raced off alone and injured, pursued by geth and a Spectre, to keep _her_ safe.

"Liara?"

She spun. Noa stood outside the shower and Liara drank her in. She made no move to approach her; if she tried to walk her legs would collapse. The right side of Noa's face was a palate of purple and blue bruises. Her opposite cheek and a forearm shone with recently applied medi-gel. The side of her mouth was swollen, her lip split. Deep red abrasions snaked around her wrists like bloody bracelets. It took her a moment to recognize what they were: ligature marks. _Goddess__…_Liara crossed her arms protectively over her chest, and clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sob that tore from her throat. Noa had been bound and beaten. _Because of her_. Noa stepped forward but she shook her head. She swallowed her anger and sorrow. Noa looked ready to drop, and she was still covered in dirt and dark flecks of dried blood.

Noa's eyes were full of uncertainty as Liara stepped silently out of the shower and stood before her.

"Liara I'm s…"

"By the goddess, Noa…do not." Her voice was a strained whisper as she slipped trembling fingers under the hem of Noa's shirt and gently lifted it. A wounded sound escaped her lips as she worked the shirt up. Livid bruises covered Noa's ribs. She'd never be able to pull it over her head without hurting her.

"Remain still." She gathered the front of Noa's shirt in her hands. A bright flash of blue curled outward from her clenched fingers as she warped it and peeled it away. Layer by layer, she undressed her. Her eyes bled hot tears as she memorized every bruise and every cut. There were so many…too many. She didn't speak. The effort of forcing words past the pain lodged in her throat was too great. As if willing to follow wherever she led, Noa remained silent as well, save for an occasional grunt of pain.

When Noa stood naked before her she led her into the shower. She scrubbed her hair and gently soaped her skin until she was clean. When Noa rinsed and turned off the jets, Liara had expected silence. Instead she heard water dripping from Noa's hair and a low, keening noise. It wasn't until Noa gathered her in her arms and began brushing soft kisses across her cheeks that Liara realized the sound was coming from her. Noa's tenderness was too much. She yanked herself free from Noa's embrace and fled the room.

She barely made it into the bedroom when Noa's hand clamped around her arm and spun her around. "Liara, please. Stop."

The desperation in Noa's plea was her undoing. The tightly wound cord with which she had restrained the maelstrom of her emotions unraveled. Her biotics flared, snaking along her skin in angry, crackling tendrils of blue. With a smooth flick of her wrist, she lifted Noa, ignoring her yelp of surprise as she hoisted her into the air, and her grunt of pain as she dropped her onto the bed sprawled on her back. Liara stalked to the bed and crawled up to straddle Noa's hips, one of the few parts of her body not painted with bruises. Leaning forward she splayed her hand against the center of Noa's chest and looked deeply into her eyes. "Let me in…goddess, Noa…let me in." A softening around Noa's eyes said yes before she could nod.

Liara locked the storm of her emotions behind mental barriers and plunged into her, linking their nervous systems together. She gasped as bright flares of pain erupted across her skin. Her jaw throbbed, her ribs ached. Her cheek felt tight and tender.

_What are you doing? _Noa demanded.

She ignored her, sliding deeper into Noa's skin until she wore every ache and pain as if it were her own. She pushed deeper, into memory.

Pain explodes across her chest and her ribs crunch from the force of Saren's kick. Her breath rushes out and she desperately pants air back into her lungs. She can't breathe. She is on the ground, in a narrow pool of light. Blood and dirt fill her nose. She chokes. Gags.

"Where is she, human?"

She cries out in pain as she is yanked roughly to her feet. Her left shoulder is a burning agony. Talons bite into her chin as her head is jerked upward. Saren's ominous eyes bore into hers. She glares long as she has Saren's undivided attention Liara has time to get away. _God please__…let her get away._

"Fuck you." She sounds pitiful. Weak. Aethyta probably says 'fuck you' with more conviction in her sleep. She watches Saren draw back his fist and tenses, anticipating the next strike. She is ready. She can handle whatever this son of a bitch can dish out. A fist plows into her gut, driving upward into her diaphragm to force the air from her tortured chest. She isn't ready. Her knees buckle and she sags between the geth, screaming as her shoulder takes her weight.

Liara backed away from the memory, bleeding from wounds medi-gel would never heal. Her anger burned hot and bright. She held onto it, using its malicious light to keep the pain at bay. She was furious with Saren, Noa, herself. She felt Noa's frustrated push against her barriers.

_Why can__'t I feel you? _Beneath Liara's palm, Noa's heart pounded against her ribs. Within the cage of Liara's ribs, her own matched it beat for aching beat.

_You left me behind!_ She felt Noa's jerk of surprise through the meld.

_Yes, I did. I__'m sorry for lying to you and I'm sorry it hurts you to see me this way. But Liara, I'm not sorry for protecting you. I would leave again if it kept you safe. _

Noa's thoughts were carried on a stout wave of conviction. She would do it. She would betray her again, abandon her again. The black hole of her fear consumed her, pulling her in. Trembling, she tugged free of the meld, sinking back into her own skin. She rolled away from Noa and sat on the edge of the bed. The sheets were slick and cool against her skin. A warm hand settled on her shoulder and she flinched. The hand fell away.

"Liara, I don't understand. Why did you want to see that? Why did you cut yourself off from me?" Noa's voice held uncertainty and dread.

Overwhelmed, Liara buried her face in her hands. She was too battered and emotionally exhausted to cry, too broken to be angry, but the ache in her chest and the weight of responsibility were relentless. She hurt, and she wasn't strong enough alone. She twisted sideways to face Noa.

Morning sun streamed through the window and turned the tangled, unruly tresses of her hair to gold. Liara captured a wayward curl between her finger and thumb, reveling in the silky texture and how much it had grown since Namakli. She'd loved Noa's hair. She loved it still, but she'd never fully understood why Noa had cut it. "Why did you cut your hair?"

Even amid the bruises she couldn't miss the color that bloomed on Noa's cheeks. "I…well, it sounds stupid now, especially since Aeian and your father have taken every possible opportunity to tell me how much it _didn__'t _work but…Christ…pheromones." The color on Noa's face deepened as she stumbled over the last word.

Liara's brow knit in confusion. "Pheromones?"

"Yes…they're hormonal signals carried in scents. Apparently mine, around you, go into overdrive and Aeian said hair carries a lot of them. Do I _really_ have to tell you this?"

"Yes, you do." A sudden thought occurred to her. "Unless you need to rest. You should probably rest."

"No, I'm fine. I was asleep before the shuttle even arrived and I slept the whole trip." Noa sighed. "I cut my hair to protect you…from me. From us. At the time, I thought it would help you to…well, to not focus so much on our attraction to one another. Apparently asari are very sensitive to pheromones, and you seemed to be particularly sensitive to mine." Noa lowered herself to the bed and covered her eyes. "God, it sounds so stupid now."

Goddess how she loved this wonderful, foolish human. She stretched out beside her, propping her weight on her elbow, and gently pulled Noa's hands away from her face. "Yes, it was stupid."

Noa turned her head sideways. "This is the part where you're supposed to make me feel better by telling me it was a great idea, T'Soni." Noa scrubbed a hand through her hair. "I miss it more than I thought I would."

"So do I and I will not lie to you and tell you what you wish to hear. It was a foolish thing to do. It did not work, and you took something from us that we both enjoyed." Liara lowered her head to the pillow, positioning her eyes level with Noa's. "Your idea to leave me behind and the notion that you would do it again are twice as foolish."

"Liara, I…"

"By the goddess, Noa be silent." She spoke softly, but with an edge of steel. "I do not question your intentions. You meant no harm…but you hurt me. You lied to me so I would go, and when you did not follow…" Her words tapered off and she swiped a frustrated hand across her burning eyes. "I cannot."

"Show me."

Liara's eyes snapped open. "You do not know what you ask."

Noa rolled gingerly onto her side. "You just watched while I got the crap kicked out of me, Liara. I couldn't feel you and I still don't understand why you wouldn't let me, but that can't have been easy to see…or feel."

"I wanted to protect you…from me."

Noa's lips curved. "Then maybe we're both fools. If you can't tell me, Liara, show me. Please. Let me in."

She captured Noa's hands in hers and nodded. "I am sorry, Noa. Embrace eternity."

_Sorry? Why? _

_For this. _Reaching out, she found the connection that had been forged between them the first moment they met. The inexplicable link was curiously fragile and strong. Gripping it firmly in her mind, she pulled Noa into her and let her barriers crumble, leaving the minefield of her emotions exposed. There was no going slow; she could not have if she'd tried. Her fear was massive, her pain stark and raw, its gravity overwhelming. Noa recoiled as Liara's fear ratcheted through her.

The memories came in tattered fragments, unchecked and unfiltered.

Noa's breath is hot against her neck. Thank the goddess the shuttle has finally stopped bouncing. If James is smiling when she sees him she's going to hit him with a singularity. She can smell smoke rising from the shuttle. She hopes James is okay. Noa's hair tickles her cheek as she lifts her head. The shape of her shoulder is wrong, and her eyes are shadows of pain but she is gloriously, wonderfully alive, wrapped in the glowing safety of her barriers. Thank the goddess…

Noa is strong. Much stronger than her size indicates. She is sitting on Noa's chest to hold her down while Dr. Chakwas does something horrific to Noa's shoulder. She can feel the warmth and softness of Noa's breasts pressing into her thighs through her leathers. It is a welcome and delicious distraction…

Noa is talking into her comm and the more Noa says the tighter her stomach clenches. She can't leave her behind..._won__'t_ leave her behind. She is not helpless. Her mother is practically helpless. She needs the doctor.

'Trust me.' The words sound like a prayer coming from Noa's lips.

She leaves her…

She hears gunfire from the valley, the unmistakably crisp snap of a carnifex hand cannon. Instantly, her heart pounds so fast and hard she feels like she's been sprinting on the beach. She has barely moved ten steps. Garrus is yelling about mechs and evac. Her biotics rage with her temper. How can they consider evacuating when Noa is still down there? Her heart turns to stone as she looks into her father's eyes, then Benezia's. Their eyes say loudly what their lips refuse to speak. They will leave Noa. They will sacrifice Noa so that _she_ can escape. No. There is nothing to escape to without Noa. No reason to continue. Without Noa, there is nothing. She is a walking nightmare. She is fury incarnate. She is leaving. Now. She cannot leave. She is trapped. Suspended. Betrayed. She can feel Noa and holds onto the feeling of her with all her strength. The feeling disappears. It is gone. Noa is gone. Every space Noa filled is replaced by a jagged, ground glass pain incomprehensible in scope. She burns and rages. She is stripped of choice and shorn of will, like an animal. She is alone and Noa is gone. It is her fault. She is impotent. She cannot even scream….

Unable to withstand the torment of reliving the memories, Liara pulled free from the meld. She opened her eyes slowly; the pillow was wet under her cheek. On the pillow opposite hers, Noa's eyes blinked open. Liara remained silent for several long minutes, waiting for the pain to abate. Emotions flicked across Noa's face…_her _emotions from the meld, slowly fading. Noa's hands were hot in hers, and soft.

"You thought I was dead?" Noa rasped. "Liara I am so sorry. I had no idea…"

She squeezed Noa's hands in hers. She felt oddly calm and empty, like a newly cast clay pot waiting to be filled. "I know you did not; that is the problem. It is not a question of intent, Noa. It is a question of consequence. My entire life I have been subjected to the good intentions of others, then forced to manage the unanticipated consequences. I have had little choice in the matter, sometimes none.

I am trapped in circumstances beyond my control. Millions of years ago, Levi'athan, with good intentions, set events in motion that I am destined to see to fruition. I have no choice. If I do not, everything we are will be harvested by the reapers." Reaching forward, she traced the curve of Noa's cheek with her fingertips. "I am terrified all the time, but I am able to manage my fear by remembering what I have to lose if I fail. You cannot risk yourself to protect me, Noa, because I _cannot_ lose you. I cannot do this on my own. I do not need your well-intended protection; I need your balance. I need_ you._" She paused, searching Noa's brilliant eyes. "Promise me you will not leave me again."

Noa scooted forwardand kissed her softly. "I promise. Going forward, whatever needs to be done we'll do it together."

"And promise me you will not ever cut your hair again."

Noa's lips curved in a crooked half-grin and for the first time since her return, Liara permitted herself to feel the warm glow of relief. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

A/N A bajillion thanks to OwelPost as usual for making this MUCH better than it would have otherwise been. You are awesome!

Thanks to everyone for faves, follows, and reviews. BEST. READERS. EVER!

Speaking of reviews, I still have several to which I need to reply. If you haven't heard from me, you will. I promise.


	32. Chapter 32 Juicy Lemons

Juicy Lemons

* * *

Liara, Sam, and Aeian walked side by side through Horizon's bustling marketplace. Liara had to give humans credit. They had created a thriving community here despite their independence from Alliance and Council control. While the majority of the sprawling colony had a laid back, pastoral ambiance, the quarter through which they currently moved was decidedly more festive. The prefabs were brightly painted, loud music drifted through open windows, and she had never seen so many strings of lanterns and lights. Or AA cannons. Sam nudged her elbow.

"You should come 'round after dark one night." Sam gestured at a nearby row of lanterns hanging under the shaded canopy entrance of a nondescript shop. "The whole quarter is lit up like Christmas."

Liara's brow knit with confusion; the term was only vaguely familiar.

"It's a human holiday with gifts and bright colorful lights everywhere…though around here we tend to keep them up all the time," Sam explained as if reading her thoughts, then smiled at her look of surprise. "You get a little furrow right here when you're confused." Sam rested the tip of her index finger between her own manicured brows.

"I did not know you could read me so well."

Sam's lips curved in a wry smile. "A person with your combination of temper and talent warrants close observation, Liara."

A flash of guilt slowed her pace, and she drew to a stop, stepping to the side to make way for a passerby. "Do I still frighten you?"

Sam had insisted Liara and Noa remain at her apartment while Noa healed and as they planned their next steps. As a result, she and Sam had spent a great deal of time together and their slow growing friendship had blossomed. Liara had developed a new appreciation for Sam's quick mind, dry wit, and quiet confidence…and she'd thought Sam had moved beyond finding her fearsome.

Sam flashed a reassuring smile. "No, of course not."

"And I'm sure it's a severe hardship for Sam to _observe_ you." Aeian gave Sam's ribs a playful pinch and slung an arm around the small human's shoulders. "Speaking of observations, Noa seems like she's moving around a lot better." Aeian eyed her suggestively. "Has Dr. Chakwas finally given her clearance to, uh, resume normal activities?"

Liara's cheeks heated. "We will find out later this evening." Noa's injuries hadn't been severe enough to warrant surgical intervention, but between her fractured ribs, and significant internal and external bruising, Dr. Chakwas had been abundantly clear regarding Noa's physical limitations.

"I'll keep my fingers crossed for you." Sam held up her crossed index and second fingers.

Liara forced her brow to remain smooth. It was harder than she thought. Humans had such odd habits. "Will that not make it difficult for you to eat?"

"Yes, it will," Sam smiled. "But for your sake, Liara, I'll suffer through it. It's reassuring to know _someone _is having sex."

"Poor Sam." Aeian squeezed Sam in the crook of her arm and planted a smacking kiss on her cheek. "We should get going. The others are waiting and if Aethyta doesn't eat regularly she gets grumpier than usual. Are we almost there?"

Sam slipped out from under Aeian's arm and swiped her cheek with the back of her hand. "Yes, it's just around the corner. You're going to love it!"

They followed Sam down the street and around the corner, and stepped into a chaotic swirl of pedestrian traffic milling through a market plaza. Sam wove confidently through, pausing intermittently to wave at people she knew. Liara found the lack of diversity disconcerting, but other than the occasional lingering stare, the crowd response was neutral. Aeian drew far more attention. Her ari strode through the plaza as if she owned it, as comfortable in the human crowd as she was everywhere else. They continued through the press to an open sided restaurant fronted by a long row of stools. Sweaty faced workers in white hats scurried through the kitchen, pausing occasionally to stir steaming vats, or serve up heaping bowls of food to seated customers. The delicious scents wafting from under the awning made her mouth water.

Sam clapped her hands together appreciatively. "Ramen Ichiraku-the best ramen in the terminus. If you want to wait here, I'll order."

Liara and Aeian stood off to the side and studied the shop fronts and the crowd while Sam spoke with a rotund, white-capped male behind the counter. There were farmers and dock hands wandering in at the end of their day. Cooks and clerks working in the shops. An apron clad vendor hawked small cakes from a hovering cart while families and children milled about the plaza. A short moment later Sam rejoined them. "It'll just be a few minutes." The smile on Sam's face fell abruptly. "Oh, bloody hell." She leaped to stand behind Aeain and peeked out at the crowd around her arm. When Aeian tried to turn, Sam clamped a hand on her arm. "Don't move!" she hissed.

Aeian scowled but remained where she was. "What exactly am I hiding you from?"

"Not what…who!" Sam said. "Lucy Clemons…bloody Maleficent, that one."

"Which one is she?" Aeian asked.

"Petite, short brown hair, green dress." Sam spoke over Aeian's shoulder.

Liara scanned the crowd, easily finding the female Sam described. She was short, smaller even than Sam and studying the crowd with intent. "I was under the impression you were eager for amorous attention; she certainly appears eager to provide it."

"Not her kind of attention. She's attractive; I'll give her that much. She's also an evil, possessive leech! She's interested in one thing only: forever after. She should come with a warning sign."

Aeian made a sound of commiseration. "So have you two…?"

"No! Of course not! I'm not stupid! She used to date a friend of mine…not that _that__'s _a problem, but she made the poor guy's life a misery when he broke it off. She's since decided _I__'m_ the ideal matrimonial candidate. Has she seen me?"

"Not yet," Aeian said, "but she keeps looking this way. Perhaps you should have chosen a better hiding spot than behind the only two asari present." Liara listened to the exchange with interest and no small amount of amusement.

"Hey Traynor!" The man in the restaurant with whom Sam had spoken earlier yelled through cupped hands. "Traynor! Your take out's ready!" Across the market, Lucy Clemons overheard. Full lips split in a wide smile as she zeroed in on the noodle shop and stepped into the crowd.

Huddled behind Aiean, Sam peered up at Liara through desperate eyes. "She's coming this way, isn't she?"

Liara bit her lip to keep from laughing and nodded.

"Shit!" Wearing a look of bleak resignation, Sam slowly straightened and set her jaw. "Right. The only way out is through." As she began to move away she grabbed Liara's arm. "If I'm not back in five minutes, you'll come get me, right?"

"Or you could avoid the drama altogether," Aeian suggested. "Why don't you and Liara head on back to the workshop while I grab the takeout?"

"No way. I've been avoiding her for _ages_, and right now I've got you two to back me up. Right?" Sam's eyes pleaded.

Liara wasn't entirely certain what she was agreeing to, but she nodded. "Of course."

Sam headed for the noodle stand and was nearly under the relative safety of the awning when Lucy Clemons intercepted her. Her smile was distinctly predatory as she descended on Sam and locked her in a cloying embrace.

Aeian nudged Liara with her elbow. "This ought to be good."

As they watched, Sam managed to extricate herself from Lucy's grip, but the smaller human remained practically stuck to Sam's side, oblivious to her strained smile. From where Liara and Aeian stood waiting it was impossible to make out what the pair were saying, but Sam's discomfort was evident, and her attempts to fend off Lucy's wandering hands futile. After several long minutes, Aeian grabbed Liara's wrist and tugged her forward.

"Come on, ari, let's go rescue the human. You play the girlfriend; I'll get the noodles. I'm starving."

Liara dug in her heels, not certain she had heard correctly. "Wait. What?"

"Go over and pretend to be Sam's girlfriend. Humans are territorial when it comes to lovers, and as such, they typically respect boundaries. When Juicy Lemons there sees that Sam's already taken by a smokin' hot asari, she'll leave Sam alone."

Liara stared up at Aeian, unconvinced. "You are far better suited for this task than I am, ari."

Aeian leaned back and threw up her hands. "Oh no. Human women are your thing, not mine, and you've got that 'stand back I'm a priestess' vibe. Besides, it will be good for you." When she didn't budge, Aeian positioned herself behind Liara and rested her chin on Liara's shoulder. Gripping her shoulders, Aeian steered her around to look at Sam. "Look at her, ari; she's drowning over there."

Liara sighed. Sam really did look quite pathetic. Lucy had backed her into a far corner between a flower laden planter and a stair wall leaving the human no method of escape short of physical altercation or deliberate cruelty, and Sam was too nice for either. Sam cast a furtive, desperate glance in their direction.

Aeian shoved Liara gently forward. "Go be a friend."

A friend. Right. Friends did this sort of thing for one another. Sam was her friend, and she was going to rescue her. With her 'priestess vibe'. _Goddess, what does that even mean? _Squaring her shoulders, she strode forward.

"Samantha." At the sound of Liara's voice Lucy Clemons stepped back and Sam's eyes flew to Liara's face. Her expression quickly waxed from relief to confusion as Liara glided to her side and tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear. Placing one hand against the small of Sam's back and another possessively against her stomach, she leaned in and brushed her lips against Sam's cheek. "I apologize for keeping you waiting, sweetheart. I was distracted by an obnoxious vendor selling something called a yam cake."

"Oh god, you didn't actually buy any did you?" Sam's nose wrinkled in distaste."Yam cakes are complete shite." At the sound of a clearing throat, Liara turned her attention to Lucy who had folded her arms across her chest and now glared up at her with angry green eyes framed under spiky crops of dark brown hair. As if in support, Sam's arm snaked around Liara's waist.

"Uh, Lucy…this is Liara. My girlfriend," Sam's voice bubbled with enthusiasm. "Liara, meet Lucy Clemons." Liara weighed her tactical options, and decided simple was best.

Lucy's aura projected around her in an angry, jealous haze too obvious to ignore. Liara reached for it, stroking it gently. Her power swirled in the pit of her stomach, anxious and waiting. Hungry. Tingles of fear and anticipation crept up Liara's spine as she reached out with her gift. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lucy Clemons."

The arm encircling her waist tightened abruptly. Distracted, Liara turned her attention to Sam and sucked in a breath. _Goddess. _Sam's eyes locked onto hers, the rich brown of her irises nearly consumed by widely dilated pupils. Wrapped together as they were, when she'd reached for Lucy, she'd inadvertently captured Sam. Every time she used her gift the connection was stronger, more potent, more desirable…and Sam's aura thrummed like a beating heart. Sam felt vibrant and alive. Warm and malleable. Willing. Tempting. Reluctantly, Liara drew her power in and cinched it tight. A disappointed sigh escaped her lips as Sam's eyes returned to normal though she was relieved to note Sam looked at her with curiosity rather than fear. She brushed the backs of her fingers lightly against Sam's cheek. "Are you alright?" she whispered softly.

"Never better," Sam's eyes remained fixed on hers, earnest and unblinking.

"Wow, Sam." The high-pitched whine of Lucy's voice grated Liara's nerves. "This is a little _exotic__… _even for you, isn't it?"

Liara turned back to the fiery human, one brow arched imperiously. "Exotic?"

"I guess without ears it's a bit difficult to hear, huh?" Lucy's sneer twisted her face into an ugly mask as she raised her voice. "The bar is two streets over,_ asari._" Lucy's eyes flicked over her with contempt. "It's the weekend and with an ass like that I bet you'll make great tips."

"Oh god." As Liara's hand fisted in Sam's shirt, Sam's arms clamped around Liara like a vice. "Shut it, Lucy, you stupid cow!"

Breathing deeply through her nose, Liara forced her fist to unclench. Her power churned in her stomach, loathsome and hot. Her skin itched with biotics she refused to let form. She wanted to force the impertinent human to her knees with the former, and reduce her to dust-fine particles with the latter. She did neither. She was T'Soni and asari; she had other powers to wield.

Exhaling slowly, she let herself sink against Sam. For a moment, the slight human stiffened in surprise at the changing context of the contact, and then relaxed into Liara's embrace until they were fused together breast to hip. Gazing over her shoulder at Lucy, she slid possessive fingers into the silk strands of Samantha's hair. "Perhaps _you_ should go to the bar, Lucy Clemons." Her voice was a subtle knife. "I am certain even _you_ can find a companion for the evening if there is enough alcohol involved." Liara's fingertips danced along the hip seam of Sam's trousers. She smirked as Lucy's eyes followed them enviously, widening as her fingers sank in to pull Sam closer. "Samantha will be unavailable." She curled her fingers in Sam's hair and turning her head, captured the surprised oh of Sam's lips with her own. _Tips indeed. _

Kissing Sam was not like kissing Noa, though it was a great deal more pleasant than she expected. Sam's lips were soft and surprisingly artful under hers, delicate and sure. It occurred to her Sam's quiet confidence was well earned, and for a brief moment she let artifice drift into experimentation. When Liara pulled away, Sam was not the only one breathing faster. A quick sideways glance revealed Lucy Clemons had fled and she allowed herself a moment of silent satisfaction before guilt stabbed her. "Sam, I —"

"Shhhhh!" Sam cut her off. She still hadn't opened her eyes, though the circle of her arms had relaxed and Liara was no longer painted against her. "I'd like to savor this moment for just a few minutes longer if you don't mind."

Liara smiled at Sam's wistful tone. Samantha was a lovely person and Liara felt privileged to count her among her friends. Sam's eyes blinked open and she graced Liara with a soft smile. " . I hope Noa recognizes how _intensely_ lucky she is."

"I confess, I will now be a more than a little jealous of the girl who finally catches you, Sam; she will be equally fortunate."

A coquettish smile played across Sam's lips and she stepped back, pressing the palm of a slender brown hand against her chest with a dramatic flourish. "I'm not quite ready to play for keeps Liara, but it pains me that you ever had any doubts."

Aeian chose that moment to return. The young asari strolled up, her arms laden with take out bags. "Honestly, Sam, who gets carry out _soup_?"

"It's not just soup, Aeian; it's ramen," Sam said plainly, as if describing a universally known truth. "It's perfection in a bowl."

"It's heavy is what it is. Come grab some of these will you?" Aeian eyed Liara. "I take it Operation Girlfriend was a success?"

Sam, who had begun unloading bags from Aeain's arms stilled. "Wait…you knew what Liara planned?"

Aeian shoved another bag at Sam who reluctantly took it. "Silly human, it was my idea. Liara would have never done it on her own. She's much more likely to have used her power and forced Juicy Lemons to perform parlor tricks for your amusement." Liara's guilty flush elicited a sigh from Aeian. "What happened?"

"Well, she might have tried that, actually," Sam said.

Liara's eyes found Sam's. "Samantha, I am so sorry." She didn't feel guilty for kissing Sam; the kiss had been a pleasant moment, but meaningless other than to dissuade Lucy. Ensnaring Sam, however, had been startlingly intimate. Recalling the feel of Sam captured and deliciously pliant sent her pulse skipping. She pointedly ignored it. "I did not stop to think about what would happen with you so close."

Sam's ears turned bright pink. "It's okay, Liara. You were brilliant and I seriously cannot thank you enough." She paused. "It's funny, I knew what you were doing. In that instant you felt different. Energized. But I didn't want to…" Sam's ears glowed brighter. "I couldn't stop it."

"It would sort of defeat the purpose of her super-incredible-super power if you could have stopped it, Sam." Aeain said. She glanced at Liara. "I'd hoped you'd just waltz over, kiss Sam's shoes off, and Lucy would run away screaming about how life is unfair and asari are tramps…that's why _I _didn't want to do it."

"Um, I'm right here." Sam waved her hand, the movement made small by the weight of the take out bags. "I can hear everything you're saying."

Aeian offered Sam a saucy smile and a wink. "Not because you aren't perfectly kissable; I just didn't want to ruin every other kiss for you. You know what they say: 'Once you go blue'…"

Sam rolled her eyes. "In the end, what you described is exactly what happened…except for the kiss ruining part." She paused for a moment, her expression thoughtful. "Though it _was_ a rather exceptional kiss." Sam shook her head. "For a minute, I thought Liara was going to biotically vaporize Lucy. Would have served her right." Sam's eyes shone as she case a sideways glance at Liara. "I suppose I should tip you later, yeah?"

Liara arched a brow. "I thought you already had." She laughed as color stained Sam's cheeks. At Aeian's inquisitive look she added, "Do not ask." Lucy's comments didn't warrant repeating.

"You're a good friend, Liara. Thank you," Sam said earnestly.

"She is, isn't she?" Aeian said.

Liara's face heated and her chest warmed. Having true friends was priceless. Aeian had been right; her first instinct had been to reach for her gift. She was glad it hadn't worked and she'd utilized other talents. Normal talents. She couldn't recall when she'd last felt normal, or so relaxed. She had not thought about about threats or fear once since leaving the workshop. It felt remarkably good.

As she looked up, Aeain gave her a knowing smile, managing to look very pleased with herself. Liara shook her head, once again amazed by her ari's insight. Aeian always knew exactly what Liara needed, even when she herself did not.

"Now, if you two are done flirting with each other," Aeian continued, interrupting her thoughts. "We should get the noodles back to the workshop."

As they began slowly making their way back through the plaza, Sam turned to Liara. "So, your power can affect more than one person at a time?" Sam looked over the crowd and back to Liara. "How many do you think you could get?"

As afternoon drew to evening, the volume of people in the market had increased and they drew to a stop in the center of the crowd. Without reaching out, Liara opened her mind, looking through her gift like a window. She turned slowly, letting her eyes travel across the people milling through the markets. It looked like Sam's description of Christmas. Glowing auras hovered like colored lights that converged and separated as the crowd moved and her heart thumped painfully inside her chest. She hadn't considered how broadly she could stretch her power, but as she watched the lights dancing around her, she knew. The answer frightened and thrilled her. "All of them."

* * *

Noa set the empty take out bowl on the table Sam had designated for food and drinks and rubbed her too-full stomach gratefully. She hadn't realized how spoiled she'd become by Jeeves's constant monitoring of her intake until they'd arrived here and she'd been without it. Often, when she was studying finds, cataloging and indexing, or researching, she became so enmeshed in the tasks at hand she simply forgot to eat. At regular intervals, Jeeves would totter into the lab, place a plate of food at her elbow, and per programming protocols, blacken the monitors until she grudgingly consumed a portion of whatever he had brought. The plucky VI kept her going…in more ways than one.

"You're sure you routed the couplings properly?" Sam nodded toward Jeeves who stood dark and silent at the back of the workshop. Noa had removed his chest panel to facilitate integration into Sam's network and the mech looked as if he'd been brutally eviscerated. Yards of fat cables poured from his chest and spilled across the floor, each carefully labeled…by Sam, of course.

Noa gave Sam a patronizing grin. "Yes, I did Miss Perfectionist. I'm smart, but I can never hope to match your genius when it comes to network architecture. It's why I had you build mine, remember?"

"No one can hope to match _my_ genius," Sam quipped. "Except possibly Liara. She calculated all the runtime differentials like she's been integrating systems her whole life." Seated across the table between Aeian and Aethyta, Liara looked up, a pleased blush creeping across her cheeks at Sam's praise.

"The only thing left is a hard system reboot. I thought I'd let you do the honor…that way if anything goes wrong, I can toss the blame squarely in your lap." Sam's features flickered with apprehension and Noa gave her slender shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I promise, everything is connected per your specifications."

"I can vouch for that," James added. "Aeian and I double checked everything as we went through. It is _exactly _the way you drew it."

Noa glanced at the long rows of stacked hard terminals that dominated the side and rear wall of the workshop, all crisply aligned and blinking merrily. She didn't have to check to know that not one particle of dust clung to the equipment. Sam's entire work space was meticulous to the point of sterility. Like Noa's lab had been for her, Sam's workshop was the beating heart of her love for all things tech. "I can never thank you enough for this, Sam."

"All in a day's work, Noa. This is where Jeeves was born…figuratively speaking of course. It seems only proper to sync him back up here." Sam rose from her chair. " Let's do it."

As Sam and Noa approached the central terminal, Liara moved to her side and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

They needed Jeeves. Along with his own combination of software, Jeeves housed all of Noa's data. Every contact, all her catalogs and research…he held her entire life. Most especially, he held a very specific file she desperately needed to access before she would know if her hunch was correct.

Jeeves was more than a VI agent piloting a mech, and more than the operating system for her lab network. Jeeves was the system itself, a unique construct of quantum and conventional hardware designed to interface with her specific network. Jeeves was the central hub from which all her other systems had operated. The networked servers in her lab had merely functioned as vehicles for processing and analysis for the VI in the same way a hover car permitted a person to travel long distances faster. During a catastrophe, Jeeves could sever himself from the external network and reside fully within the mobile platform, however the mech platform lacked the processing power and hardware that permitted full functionality. Unfortunately, he could not integrate into any random system; thus they had rebuilt Sam's network with the appropriate landscape.

"Alright…here goes." Sam exhaled and began punching at the interface, initiating the reboot. The server banks powered down sequentially and the room grew gradually quieter until the silence was interrupted only by the shaky sound of her breathing. A few agonizing seconds later, Jeeves's headlamp flickered ominously, before blinking into a solid steady light as the system came back online with the mech linked in. "That's a good sign," Sam said. "We'll soon know whether or not you broke anything, Noa, but the restart will take longer than usual. I'm staging the access so if we run into any problems they're easier to identify."

The waiting was agonizing as the servers each came back online in the prescribed order. Sam's hands fluttered like hummingbirds over the haptic interface, zipping back and forth as she monitored the process closely.

When the light on the holo display flicked from red to green, Sam went perfectly still. "Oh god, I think we've actually done it."

Until now, Noa hadn't realized how much she'd pinned her hopes on their success. Losing her home and the lab had been hard, but it had been easier to stomach knowing Jeeves was intact. If they couldn't integrate him, however, or if his self-defense protocols had been inadvertently tripped, she would have literally lost everything she'd ever done. She licked her dry lips. "Jeeves, buddy? Are you there?"

A bubble of lights emerged over the holographic display. "Greetings Noa. How may I be of assistance?"

Liara's hand squeezed hers tightly, while Noa threw her free arm around Sam, grunting as the small tech wrapped her in an enthusiastic hug. "Sam, you did it!"

Sam pulled back wearing a smug grin. "I did, didn't I?"

Their celebration was short lived. Aethyta sauntered to Noa's side, scowling. "Okay, you can pat yourselves on the damn back later," Aethyta grumbled. "After you fought Saren, you said you had an idea, but you've been guarding it like a damn elcor bouncer. We're all here, the mech is up and running, and our bellies are full; let's get the cards on the damn table."

"Father," Liara admonished. "Will you please be patient?"

"It's alright, Liara." Noa said. "Your dad's right. I've been waiting for Jeeves to come back online so I could review some files, but I can do it with you all here." She turned to the holo. "Jeeves, how are internal diagnostics?"

"I am currently running a complete diagnostic scan utilizing resources from secondary servers. Primary servers are online and available for data retrieval."

"Excellent Jeeves." Noa approached the haptic interface and began swiping rapidly through files. "Sometimes, the most obvious things are the easiest to overlook, simply because they're…obvious.

By the river, Saren said some things that piqued my interest. He said the batarians had discovered the means to aid the reapers twice, and had missed each opportunity. It was the_ twice_ that got me. He mentioned a batarian by the name of Had'dah who had found an artifact, a derelict ship, but that when Saren encountered it; it chose him. That derelict ship was Sovereign.

Coincidentally, the batarian was Edan Had'dah, an aristocrat from Camala. He did the same sort of thing I do…but on a larger scale. I go find my own artifacts and sell them; Had'dah hired survey teams to do it. Edan Had'dah is believed to have died in an eezo refinery explosion in 2165."

"You think Saren killed him?" Aethyta said. "That would mean —"

"Eighteen years." Noa said. "It would mean Saren was first exposed to Sovereign at least eighteen years ago. That's a long time for a turian, and a damn long time for anyone to be near a reaper. Saren must have been as tough as nails."

"What the hell has that got to do with anything?"

Noa shrugged. "Nothing really. You insisted I do this now, and this is the way my brain processes information. I talk things out."

"Goddess damn, human. Listening to you rattle on is like listening to a vorcha recite poetry." Aethyta said. "If I had ears, they'd be bleeding right now." Noa ignored Aethyta's complaints; they were all on edge. Her hand stilled over the screen.

"Here it is. Christ, I've had this forever." Noa tapped the screen. "It's funny how people and events are connected, and how small the galaxy can feel sometimes.

In 2163, a batarian survey team…also hired by Edan Had'dah…. was exploring the craters of Jartar when they discovered what appeared to be a derelict ship. An STG team was deployed to Dis along with a research team to investigate. Their early findings suggested the ship was a genetically engineered starship, but they never moved beyond preliminary study. Not long after the ship was discovered, a batarian dreadnought removed it. To this day, the batarians deny that it ever existed.

This film is from my STG contact, Padok Wiks. He's more than a contact; he's a friend. His father, Rika, was also STG, and assigned to the team sent to Dis. This film was recorded by Rika the day his team arrived at the excavation site, and it's the only evidence the ship was there. I've honestly never watched it. Padok sent it to me…damn, years ago, after we talked about our dads once." She paused. She had been half drunk at the time and Padok truly wasted or he likely would have never shared it with her. She'd never forget the profound sadness in his eyes. It had been just after Rika's death. "Padok was just an infant when his dad made this film—"

"What the hell is a salarian infant called, anyway?" Aethyta asked. "They're amphibians, so are they larva? Tadpoles?"

Liara touched a hand to her forehead. "Goddess, father. The word you are looking for is_ infant_. Salarian. Infant."

Aethyta held up her hands. "Fine, don't get your knickers in a twist. I just figured that since we're talking about everything _except _Noa's hunch, I'd ask a simple question." Aethyta looked at Noa. "By all means, please keep boring us with other irrelevant topics."

Noa sighed. "It _is _relevant. Padok said his entire youth—"

"Or larval stage," Aethyta interjected. "Since we don't really know."

Noa clenched her teeth. "During Padok's entire _youth, _his father was obsessed with this ship. His was so fixated on finding it again, it destroyed his STG career. He wrote down everything he could remember about the data they'd collected and studied it over and over. He spent years trying to find out what the batarians had done with it because he _needed_ to find it. What does that sound like to you?"

"Indoctrination," Liara said quietly. "Goddess, the ship was a reaper."

"Let's find out." Noa cocked a brow at Aethyta. "Since we really don't know." She tapped the screen.

The footage was grainy. It appeared to have been recorded by a shuttle mounted camera during an initial run over the site. In the depths of the crater, surrounded by the conical tents of the survey team and wallowing awkwardly on its back, lay the intact body of a dead reaper.

"I knew it." Noa said softly.

"What the hell does this tell us, though?" Aethyta said.

"It tells us there's something out there that can kill a reaper, si?" James said quietly.

Aethyta swiveled to face him. "I knew I liked you, kid." She turned back to Noa. "See? That's how you do it. Someone asks a simple question, you give a nice straightforward answer."

"We're still back where we started, Noa." Aeian said. "So we know something can kill a reaper…we don't have any idea what it is, or how to find it."

"According to Padok's father —"

"His delusional, _indoctrinated _father." Aethyta added.

"…the reaper itself was old…a billion years, but based on the preliminary studies of the organic components of its structure, they believed it died much, much later. What is the only other species we know of that is not only aware of the reapers, but would know a reaper's weaknesses and could exploit them? That has a billion plus year old debt to settle?"

"Goddess, Noa…you believe it was Levi'athan."

She nodded. "I do…and I think it's still out there."

Aethyta stared, mouth gaping. "That was your hunch? That Levi'athan, the same squid that started this whole mess more than a billion years ago, killed a reaper? Goddess Athame's sweet tits, human, do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?" Aethyta began pacing back and forth, her steps short and agitated. "For the sake of shits and giggles, let's say you're right. Levi'athan killed the reaper, and is still roaming the galaxy. Where in goddess fuck do you think we're going to find it?"

Noa swallowed. _In for a penny, in for a pound, Noa._ "I think we're going to find it on Thessia."

Aethyta burst out laughing, and the others shifted uncomfortably, but Liara's eyes remained serene, and never left her face. "Why Thessia?"

She forced herself not to shrug. "It fits. Assuming Levi'athan is still out there, it's been waiting millions of years to witness the defeat of the reapers. It has utilized every tool at its disposal to ensure it wins, uplifting and augmenting different species as necessary to create the perfect countermeasure. It's the race on which the reapers are predicated and they share the same tenacious drive. It's like the harvest cycle…but backwards. Levi'athan doesn't destroy, it creates…and it created you…sort of. Nothing has been by accident; everything has been by design. It has carefully constructed the most brilliant, daring, far-fetched plan imaginable, and that plan is sitting at the cusp of completion. I think it's just waiting for it to happen, and Thessia is the front row seat."

"It is also an oceanic garden planet," Liara pointed out. "Whatever Levi'athan is…or is not…its memories are of seas. Seas of water, seas of stars, currents of time. Oceans are the context in which it frames its existence. The gathering...Sha'ol, in which Levi'athan was cut off from its people, occurred on the floor of an ocean. There was a sense of…of a return to beginnings there."

"Thessia also has the richest eezo concentration." Aeian added. Noa paused. She hadn't considered eezo to be an important factor.

Aeian's lips curved in a wry smile. "When I'm not otherwise engaged in stopping the destruction of the galaxy, I work on engines, remember? Noa, if Levi'athan…or the A'than…are older than the reapers, and traveled across the galaxy_ before_ the mass relays were built, they either have some seriously kick-ass advanced tech, or they used some sort of eezo drives. Considering the methods with which the reapers have bastardized everything else about the A'than, it wouldn't surprise me if mass technology was theirs first."

Noa scanned the faces of her friends. Their indecision and doubt was apparent in the collective furrowing of their brows. "Look, I know it sounds far-fetched. I'm willing to admit that, but it…damn it, it_ feels_ right. I've spent my entire life studying the past. I've made a living…a good one…from finding remnants of a dead civilization and carefully constructing ideas and theories that led to the next find. Eventually, subtle patterns begin to emerge in the data; patterns that defy explanation.

Everything we know about Levi'athan points to Thessia…right down to the nichti shell spiral on Liara's palm. It is dominated by oceans, rich in eezo, but most importantly…it's where Levi'athan's plan was designed to be fulfilled. Liara, you are the Oracle of Athame…the prophecy was written not just about you, but for you. It was always meant to be an asari that developed your gift." Noa raked a hand through her hair in frustration. "It's difficult to explain to someone else. I can't point to one specific thing to prove my case. It is more a…feeling, derived from an admittedly short lifetime of practical experience and study. It's a hunch, and it's a damn big one; but I know I'm right." She shoved her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels. "Look guys, at this point we have absolutely no other leads. Sovereign is out there…waiting. If we can't find some way to stop it, everything we've done will have been for nothing." The others looked at each other for several long minutes, as if weighing what she's said. Finally James pushed himself off the chair and stood.

"Well damn, it won't hurt to go look, right?" James said. "I mean…what's the worst that could happen? We're wrong? Seems to me we've got nothing to lose…but, uh, Shep? How are we going to find it?"

Noa winced as soon as James uttered the question and the room fell silent. She had absolutely no idea. She'd wracked her brain for hours to find a solution, but had nothing. It was the single sticking point in her entire plan. Thessia had a _lot_ of oceans and even though she was absolutely confident Levi'athan was there, finding it unaided would be nearly impossible.

"I might have an idea about that," Sam said quietly. "This afternoon at the markets, Liara sort of…" Her words trailed off and she averted her eyes.

"Sort of what?" Noa looked from Liara to Sam, confused. Sam looked flustered and guilty. Liara's lips curved in a soft smile and she slid her hand into Noa's. It felt refreshingly cool against her hot palm.

"I rescued Sam from an overly aggressive and scathingly rude young woman. Lucy Clemons." At the mention of the name, Noa cringed.

"Geez, Sam, she's _still_ after you?" Noa twisted so she could see Liara. "Christ, what happened?"

"I pretended to be Sam's girlfriend." Liara said simply. "Lucy hinted it would be more appropriate for me to pursue a performing arts career at the local bar-"

"She said it a lot worse than that, Liara!" Sam's fingers found her shirt button and plucked at it furiously. "She was embarrassingly horrible! You make it sound so…civilized."

"Then I demonstrated the veracity of my relationship with Sam by kissing her —"

"Oh God." Sam screwed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Bloody hell, Noa. I am _really _sorry."

Had it not been for the melds she'd shared with Liara, she might have been jealous, but she knew Liara's heart as well as her own. As it was, Sam's reaction was nearly comical. "I don't understand. What does Liara kissing you have to do with finding Levi'athan?"

Sam peeked up from under dark lashes, her expression guarded. "Nothing? Before the..um, kiss, Liara tried to use her gift…her power." Sam released an exasperated sigh. "We've really got to start calling it something else. I feel like I'm talking about a bloody super-hero or something. Anyway, we were standing really close —"

"I bet." James waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Shut it, James!" Sam glared over her shoulder at James before continuing. "When Liara used her power, I could feel it…I could feel _her._" James snickered against his cupped hand and Sam spun on her heel, index finger extended. "Not one more word James Vega or so help me I'll give Lucy your contact information along with all those stupid photos you've sent me of you in your underwear!"

James scowled. "That's cold, Checkers."

"As I was saying," Sam continued, facing Noa once more. "Liara emits an energy field when she's using her power. It's palpable, so it's definitely measurable. If Liara's power is like Levi'athan's, we should be able to extrapolate the required energy signature to locate it."

Noa couldn't stop the grin that stretched across her face as she threw her arms around her friend. "Sam, you are a genius! I could kiss you myself right now! I've been grappling with the question of how to find Levi'athan since I first considered Thessia as a potential location."

Sam's eyed her timidly. "You're not mad? About the…um, kiss?"

"Naturally, after this is over I'm never speaking to you again," she deadpanned.

"Noa!" Liara admonished.

Noa released Sam and held up her hands in a placating gesture. "Kidding! I'm kidding! No, Sam…I'm not angry. Jealous?" She shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe a little, but if Liara hadn't rescued you, we wouldn't know what to do."

"Yeah." Aeian smiled. "And poor Sam would be stuck with Juicy Lemons."

A/N Thanks as always to OwelPost for her excellent input.


	33. Chapter 33 Mentor

**Mentor**

* * *

From the viewing lounge on the orbital research station, Thessia shone like a jewel. Bold clusters of lights dotted the planet's night surface like land-side constellations, providing an outline map of Serrice and it's neighboring coastal cities as they passed slowly by. It was not the city lights moving beneath her that drew Liara's eye, but the vast black surface of the sea and the possibilities lurking in its depths. Returning to Thessia felt strange, like finding something lost she hadn't known was missing. She wondered if finding Levi'athan would feel the same.

"Hey there, you." Noa's warm arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. "I wondered where you'd gone. How are you doing?"

"Much better now." Liara leaned back into Noa's embrace, tucking her lia'nan's arms around her like a blanket. "Have all the preparations been made?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure what kind of strings Tevos pulled to secure our visas, but we're cleared to visit. Vega's running through the preflight checks on the shuttle as we speak." Noa was silent for a moment. "Did you know Thessia's just a bit smaller than earth, and has half the population?"

A smile tugged at Liara's course Noa would try to distract her with trivia. Turning her head slightly, she brushed her lips across Noa's cheek before snuggling back against her once more. "When did you last visit Earth?"

"Almost two years ago. I should get back more often."

"I have not been to Thessia for more years than you have been alive, Noa. I know we are not visiting the estate, but it still feels…momentous." Liara paused. "I would like to take you there, when this is all over. We should visit during Janiris when the gardens are in bloom." They had not spoken of the future. In truth, she hadn't allowed her thoughts to wander that far forward. She was too newly acquainted with daring to dream of a life outside the temple and too weighed down by the uncertainty of the present. Still, she could hope.

"I'd like that very much." Noa paused, began to speak, hesitated, started again. "And maybe you can come with me to Earth and, you know…meet my mom?"

Liara had the sense of having been handed something very fragile. Noa's chest went still as she held her breath, awaiting a response. Liara twisted in the circle of Noa's arms, the fingers of one hand automatically reaching up to wind in Noa's hair."I would love to meet your mother." Noa's answering smile was brighter than a sun.

"Really?"

"Yes really." She pulled Noa's lips to hers, the kiss made somewhat awkward by the fact that Noa was still smiling.

"Eww." At the small and unexpected sound of disgust, Liara pulled back and turned toward its source. A wide-eyed asari child stared up at her from several paces away. The child's trapped expression clearly conveyed she had not meant to voice her distaste out loud. Small straight teeth chewed her bottom lip, and her face was flushed from neck to crests. By the vague outlines of her facial markings, the girl was no more that seven or eight years of age. Liara's lips curved in a smile. The child's blue eyes nearly swallowed her face, but she stood straight, if not tall, despite her embarrassment. A quick scan of the lounge indicated she was alone. Liara was not surprised; she had often slipped away from caretakers at that age.

"Hey, little one. I didn't see you there." Noa gently released Liara and took a step back, smiling more now than she had before. "You know, you may not think so now, but one of these days you're going to love getting kisses."

The child's head canted to the side as she weighed Noa's words. Slender arms folded across a thin chest and her small nose curled. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are," Noa fired back playfully, as if daring the child to argue further.

The child was silent for a moment. Her arms uncrossed as she studied Noa. Her eyes narrowed slightly, perplexed, and she moved slowly forward until she was forced to tilt her chin high to see Noa's face. "Your eyes are funny."

"You're blue." At Noa's quick counter the child's mouth split into a wide grin. Chuckling, Noa dropped to one knee in front of her. "Hi. I'm Noa."

At Noa's words, the girl's smile fell. Bright blue eyes drifted to Liara. One open hand hovered uncertainly as if the child was unsure of the appropriate greeting. Once, Liara would have insisted on formality. No longer. Closing the short distance between them, she knelt beside the girl and made a show of deliberately resting her hands lightly on the tops of her thighs to clearly indicate no formal greeting was required. The child's posture immediately relaxed and her grin returned. At Liara's nod of encouragement, the girl's eyes flicked back to Noa. "Hi," she parroted. "My name is Lyra Vinthis." Lyra's eyes leaped back to Liara's, her smile widening at Liara's soft smile of approval.

"Lyra is a beautiful name. I am Liara." She deliberately omitted her house name. Vinthis was a common clan and though the child was young, she would know the house names as well as her own. Liara didn't want to make her self conscious.

With greetings exchanged, Lyra's inhibitions melted and she stepped eagerly forward and placed her palms gently against Noa's cheeks, studying the human's face with the intense and open curiosity of youth. Small fingers tentatively reached for Noa's hair.

"Ow!" Noa cried out in mock pain then burst out laughing as Lyra's hand jerked back, the bow of her mouth rounding in surprise and blue eyes blinking uncertainly. "It's okay Lyra; I was just kidding," Noa quickly reassured. "It doesn't hurt when you touch my hair, I promise. Here," Noa's hand swallowed Lyra's. Dipping her head forward, she gently lifted the tiny hand, placed it on top of her head and, scrubbed it back and forth. "See?"

"Your head is soft!" Lyra pushed both of her hands into Noa's hair and a few seconds later stepped closer and rubbed her cheek against it.

Liara's heart squeezed inside her chest. She wanted this. She wanted a future and children._ Noa__'s_ children. She wanted an abundance of laughter, giddy smiles, and curiosity. She wanted Noa. As if drawn by her thoughts, Noa twisted her head to the side to smile up at her.

"What's the matter, Liara? Jealous?" Noa captured Lyra's hands and slowly extricated them from her hair. When she straightened, Liara cupped a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. The short waves of Noa's hair stuck out from her head in a tangled disarray. She looked ridiculous and wonderful, prompting Liara's heart to squeeze once more.

"No, I am not jealous." With her curiosity regarding Noa's hair satisfied, Lyra wandered to Liara's side and leaned against her. Liara sat, permitting Lyra to sink into her lap. She smelled liked herbs and something sweet. "I did not know you were so comfortable with children, Noa."

"Kids are easy. It's adults that are difficult." Noa looked to Lyra. "I bet your mom is one of the scientists here, huh?" Lyra tensed in Liara's lap and did not answer. Noa frowned. "Is it okay for her to be here alone like this?"

"Perhaps." Liara shifted Lyra to one leg, positioning her in the crook of her arm to better see her. "With the exception of a small salarian contingent, this is an asari research station. Asari children are typically raised communally, with many individuals providing oversight and guidance. The scientists and staff here likely all contribute, and security measures would ensure she could not wander into any restricted areas." Still, it was mid-day of the station's cycle. She was surprised Lyra was here alone rather than with other children her age. "Lyra, are you permitted to be here?" Lyra's blue eyes blinked and she nodded vigorously.

"Well, we haven't seen any other kids." Noa dropped to a sit and playfully tugged Lyra's sleeve. "Does your mom know you're here now, kiddo?" Lyra's cheeks colored and she averted her eyes. _Goddess. _The child's solo excursion to the lounge and her reluctance to answer Noa's question about her mother clicked. Liara knew that look. She had worn it herself more times than she cared to remember. It wasn't fear of being caught. It was shame.

"Lyra," she began gently. "What type of work does your_ father_ do here at the station?" Lyra's eyes snapped up to hers, cautious and a touch defiant. A slender finger pointed to the window and Liara followed it to the broad curves of the solar arrays peeking from the side of the station.

"She studies our sun…with those." Lyra's voice was barely more than a whisper.

"I see." Liara offered the child a reassuring smile. "Studying the sun is very important work. Perhaps, when you are older, you will be a scientist like your father?"

Lyra shook her head. "I want to be a commando."

"You have to be pretty brave to be a commando, kiddo." Noa stroked the pad of her thumb down Lyra's nose and gently tweaked its tip. "I know that, because Liara's father is a commando, and so is her ari and they are two of the bravest asari I've ever met." Liara saw the exact moment Noa's words registered. Lyra's eyes grew so large they seemed to swallow her whole face. She reached out slowly and traced Liara's cheek with the tips of her fingers. Pure blood children were certainly not unheard of, but they were rare enough that Lyra had likely never met another asari with two parents in her short span of years, though based on her behavior, she was sadly familiar with their mistreatment.

"You have two asari parents, too?"

Liara smiled and nodded. "Yes, I do. When I was your age, I lived with my mother in Armali. What does your mother do?"

"My mother is a doctor. She helps people feel better when they're sick…but not here. In Serrice. That's where we live. I just come here sometimes when my father does research."

"It is very good of you to come here and help her; I am certain she enjoys your company."

"I like it best when we are all together."

"So do I, little one. So do I."

"Holy crap, is that a kid?" At the sound of Aeian's voice, they all turned. Aeian sauntered into the lounge and stared down at the trio with a bemused expression. Lyra pressed herself farther into Liara's lap, but her eyes were riveted to Aeian's commando leathers.

"Aeian, I'd like you to meet Lyra Vinthis. Her mother is a physician in Serrice and her father is an asari scientist here on the station." A slight softening around Aeian's eyes indicated she'd picked up on Liara's meaning, and she knelt to study the little asari. "Lyra hopes to be a commando one day."

"That's fantastic, Lyra. It's really nice to meet you."

"Lyra, this is my ari, Aeian T'Goni." Liara was prepared for Lyra's response to the T'Goni name and held the girl snuggly in the crook of her arm when she attempted to rise. "I will let you in on a small secret, Lyra. Aeian hates formality."

"She's right…I _so _hate it." Aeian rolled her eyes dramatically eliciting a string of giggles from Lyra. Aeian eyed the child thoughtfully. "So you want to be a commando, too, huh?" Lyra nodded vigorously. "It's a pretty important job. Do you think you've got what it takes?" Another vigorous nod. "Okay…let me see your biotics." Lyra's eyes widened as Aeian held up her palm. "Go ahead and show me what you've got…and keep in mind, I'm trusting you not to shove me through the wall, alright?" Aeian deadpanned.

Lyra's eyes squinted, obviously trying to decide it Aeian was serious. "I can't do _that_!"

"Okay, I'm just being careful. You look pretty powerful."

Laughing, Lyra place her palm next to Aeian's. Her laughter faded and her small brow furrowed in concentration. All asari had biotic potential. Some never developed it of course, and the age at which biotics began to manifest was variable. Liara's own had begun sparking intermittently when she was five, which was quite young, but like Lyra, she was the offspring of two asari. Lyra clenched her bottom lip between her teeth and a small nimbus of blue flowered between her palm and Aeian's. It lasted for less than a second, but Lyra beamed with pride.

"Whoa!" Aiean quickly pulled her hand back and Liara smiled as her ari deliberately shook it, feigning discomfort. "That was excellent!" Aeian's expression grew somber. "I'm sad to say my friends and I have to go now. _But,_" Aeian caught the underside of Lyra's chin with the tips of her fingers before it could sink to her small chest. "I've got an idea." Lyra perked up. "Every good commando needs a mentor. Eventually, if you decide commando training is really what you want to do, you look me up, okay? Will you remember my name?"

"Everyone knows your name, _Jeie_ T'Goni." Lyra whispered. Aeian didn't so much as flinch at the title.

"That's right, kid. Everyone does." Reaching up to her her shoulder, Aeain grasped a patch affixed to her leathers and yanked it free. Liara had seen it before, of course, but she'd never questioned what it represented. Aeian held the patch loosely in her hand. "This patch was given to me by _my_ mentor, Liara's father, the Matriarch Aethyta. She wore it on her leathers when she served in the Serrice Guard and she gave it to me when I became her student. Now, I'm giving it to you. If you _really_ want to train as a commando, I'll be your mentor, okay?"

Wide-eyed and speechless, Lyra nodded. Liara could feel the rapid thumping of the small asari's heart through Lyra's shirt as Aeian pressed the scrap of cloth into her outstretched hands. Without warning, Lyra lunged forward, wrapping her small arms around Aeian's neck. "Thank you, _Jeie_ T'Goni."

Aeian gently returned the fierce hug. "Don't thank me yet." Aeian scooped Lyra up and settled the child on her hip. "I won't go easy on you just because you're cute." Lyra giggled. "There are rules you have to follow. You'll have to study hard, and learn everything you can. Commandos have to be smart as well as strong. You'll have to practice with your biotics every day, but not yet," Aeian warned. "Wait for an adult to evaluate you first, so you know it's safe…okay?" At Lyra's swift nod, Aeian smiled. "Good job."

Aeian gently unwound Lyra's arms from around her neck and placed her carefully on her feet. "Alright kid." Aeian braced her hands against her knees and leaned forward until her nose almost touched Lyra's. "Be brave, stay strong, and find me when you're ready." Lyra nodded, her expression solemn as Aeian straightened. "You've had a workout today, so your first task as my student is to go find a healthy snack, alright?" Placing a hand on Lyra's shoulder, Aeian steered her toward the doorway and gave her a gentle push. Clutching the insignia patch tightly to her chest, Lyra's bouncing steps carried her toward the exit. She paused once, to smile over her shoulder before continuing on. Liara rose from the floor and slipped her hand into Aeian's as Lyra disappeared down the hall.

Aeian turned, wearing a sappy smile. "Well that was unexpected…and wonderful."

Liara placed her palm against Aeian's cheek and kissed her lightly. "So are you, ari."


	34. Chapter 34 Friends and Soulmates

**Friends and Soulmates**

* * *

The main islands of the Alestia archipelago resembled the curved and ridged back of a serpent slumbering in the water. Liara had never visited them. Despite their beauty, few asari had. The tropical island chain lay several thousand kilometers west of the nearest continent, too small and isolated to warrant development. Asari culture encouraged community cohesion and with its abundance of oceans, Thessia had no shortage of beautiful coasts. The uninhabited islands were perfect for their purposes.

From the co-pilot's seat, Liara gazed out over the nose of the shuttle as James circled the islands in search of an appropriate camp site. The 'windows' through which they looked were virtual; the images composites rendered from numerous external cameras. Even though Liara could 'see' the islands, it wasn't enough. She wanted to see Thessia with her own eyes. She wanted the swift ocean breeze against her crests, soft sand under her feet, and warm sun against her skin. Unfortunately most of the islands were little more than tree covered rocks, with steep cliffs falling off into the water.

"Hey Shep," James called over his shoulder. "I meant to ask on the station, but where the hell did you get this shuttle?" The vehicle was a modified civilian prototype of a Systems Alliance vessel. Tela had delivered it to the research station with all their gear inside the day before they'd arrived. _Thank the Goddess for Spectre authority_.

"I could tell you, James, but then I'd have to kill you." Liara turned sideways in her seat just as Noa strolled into the cockpit, grinning wickedly. "Still wanna know?"

"I'm willing to bet you are secretly so hot for me, you wouldn't pull the trigger."

"Damn, Vega." Aeain, squeezed into the front and casually dropped onto Liara's lap. Liara grunted at the sudden weight. "If you're willing to place a wager like that, we should play a few rounds of poker. I'd love to take your money."

"Make it strip poker and you're on. That way if Shep does kill me, at least I'll die a happy man. Dios, I cannot believe I am finally on Thessia, and we are way out here in the middle of nowhere."

"You seem to have forgotten it's Noa Shepard you work for." Garrus sat immediately behind the pilot's seat with an ankle resting on his knee. "When have we not been in the middle of nowhere."

Vega's brow dipped. "Wait…I thought I worked for you, Gus?"

"Same thing," Noa and Garrus spoke in unison. A bright smile wreathed Noa's face and Garrus's mandibles quivered as they lightly touched palms. Liara couldn't help but smile at the easy camaraderie the pair shared, despite their differences. Beside Garrus, Aethyta sat with her nose buried in a data pad. Liara wasn't certain what her father was reading, but her lips periodically twitched upward in response. The only person missing was Samantha. Benezia had remained on Horizon under the continued care of Dr. Chakwas.

"Where is Samantha?" Liara couldn't see past Noa, nor could she move with Aeian sitting on her legs.

Noa turned sideways and Aeian leaned forward, providing an unobstructed view of the rear compartment. Sam sat in the far corner with her crossed ankles supported by a strategically duffel bag. Her arms were folded over her chest, and her eyes closed. Her head bobbed rhythmically back and forth.

"Hey Sam!" Noa called. When Samantha failed to respond, Noa slipped a hand in her pocket and extracted…something. Liara couldn't see what it was, but she did see the small object sail threw the air and bounce lightly from the center of Sam's chest.

"What the?" Sam's eyes flew open and her fingers went to her chest. She scowled playfully as she looked toward the cockpit.

"Wake up, you."

"I was not sleeping, thank you very much." Sam slid her feet from the crate and stood, tilting her head left and then right to extract tiny listening devices which she then dropped into her pocket. Ears, as it turned out, were more useful than Liara had ever imagined. Her eyes drifted to the soft lobe of Noa's ear. Her teeth ached to bite it. Sam slipped past the equipment and moved to Noa's side. "I was listening to music and daydreaming about your girlfriend, if you really must know." Samantha's sly smile revealed the jibe for what it was, though Liara's cheeks heated anyway.

"Just for that I'm calling Lucy Clemons to tell her how _miserable _you've been since your run in at the market and how much you've missed her." Noa lifted her wrist as if to activate her omni-tool and Sam shoved it down, huffing indignantly.

"Don't you dare!"

Smiling to herself, Liara wrapped her arms around Aeian's waist and rested a cheek against her ari's back. As she did, Aeian wound their fingers together and gave Liara's hands a gentle squeeze. Liara couldn't explain why, but she felt stronger with her friends near…at peace. Yes, they teased, flirted, cajoled, and complained to one another, but beneath the antics an unshakable affection and fierce loyalty connected them. She relied on the strength of their tightly knit group.

"Oh yeah, baby…come to papi!" James whooped. "That's our spot right there!" Aeain released her hands and stood, freeing Liara to look through the window. She chose not to,opting instead to vacate the co-pilot's seat and move to Noa's side, deliberately avoiding the view.

Noa's brows rose in surprise as Liara wrapped an arm loosely around her waist and leaned against her. "Don't you want to see?"

"Yes…but with my own eyes, and with you beside me."

Noa's lips brushed her temple. "I like that idea."

Several minutes later the shuttle thumped against the ground and the door opened with a hiss. Light flooded the compartment and a warm breeze filtered in, carrying with it the unmistakable mineral tang of Thessia's eezo rich water. Unable to wait any longer, Liara took Noa's hand and tugged her toward the open hatch.

"Welcome back to Thessia, Liara."

The inland breeze stole Liara's breath and carried it away as she stepped down onto the sand. The island wasn't home, but at that moment, it was close enough. It was Thessia, and it was beautiful. The ocean stretched out before her in a swathe of brilliant blue that was lighter at the shore and grew gradually darker as it stretched over the sand ocean floor and reached for the horizon. Gentle waves rolled onto a sweep of glistening white sand that disappeared in the distance as it rounded the end of the island. Tall stands of fruit laden _chaka_ trees dipped broad leafed heads low over the beach creating pools of deep shade, and behind the chaka groves, the center of the island rose up like an emerald tent. It was almost perfect.

Pivoting, Liara slipped her hand into Noa's hair and pulled her forward, swallowing Noa's soft sigh as she brought their lips together. Now it was perfect. Liara's pulse raced as Noa's arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer.

"Hey, get a move on you two; the rest of us would like to enjoy the view too." At the sound of Aeian's voice, Liara pulled away abruptly and took a small step backward, face flaming. She had forgotten the others entirely. Aeian hopped from the shuttle and shoved a duffel against Liara's chest, leaving her little choice but to grab it or let it drop onto her feet. "Sorry to rain on your party for two, but the quicker we set up camp, the sooner we can _all _play."

* * *

Hours later, as the sun sank toward the horizon, Liara watched from the beach with hungry eyes as Noa chased Aeian through the waves. Noa's 'swimsuit'…_what a ridiculous word! Nothing that small is a suit!_… revealed nearly every lean, muscular inch of Noa's tanned skin. Liara had seen Noa undressed, of course, but to watch her human so near nude in the light of day, frolicking under an open sky, short-circuited Liara's brain. She could see too much, and touch too little. Swimming together had been an an exercise in torture. The intentional-accidental collisions of skin made her burn and for the sake of her sanity, Liara had retreated to the relative safety of the beach. She swallowed hard as Noa strode through the surf in her direction. _Goddess_. Had Noa's legs always been that long?

"Hey Shep!" The wind whipped Vega's voice across the sand and Liara turned. The human stood in the shade of a _chaka_ tree beckoning Noa to the camp with one massive hand. "Come eat! You too Freckles!" Liara rested her hand against her abdomen and turned back toward the water just as Aeian sprinted past and Noa reached her. Liara's eyes riveted to a single, fat drop of water as it slid down the smooth slope of Noa's chest and disappeared in the valley of her breasts. Yes, Liara was hungry, but not for food.

"My eyes are up a bit higher you know." Noa laughed as Liara's gaze continued down the carved line of her abdomen to the scrap—_scrap!_— of material clinging to her hips._ It would be so easy to_— Soft fingertips lifted her chin, forcing her to look up into smiling eyes. The blue of Noa's irises was the same color as the sea, where it met the sky. Noa leaned forward and planted a kiss on the tip of Liara's nose. "We should go eat. You look…peckish."

As they drew close to the ring of tents that comprised the camp, James pointed to a nearby table with a spork. "Rations are right over there." He dug the spork into a foil packet resting in his palm and extracted an unrecognizable semi-gelatinous blob. Liara cringed as he shoved it in his mouth and chewed mechanically. Catching her look, Vega grinned. "Just like mom used to make."

"Your mother must have hated you." Sam, trailed by Garrus, emerged from a semi-rigid enclosure that housed the team's abundance of gear.

Noa reached for an MRE and ripped it open. "Everything ready for tomorrow, Sam?"

Sam nodded. "It is. Thanks to Garrus, the scanner is _superbly_ calibrated. Communications are online and secured. Also, the bio-feedback monitors you'll each wear are routed through the shuttle's system to our feeds here. If anything um… unexpected happens while you're down there, we can manually override the shuttle's controls and autopilot you back here."

Noa nodded, chewing, as Garrus reached into a cooler and began extracting beers, lobbing them to anyone indicating interest. Once everyone had a drink, the turian eyed Noa thoughtfully. "Noa, are you sure you want to do this? I'll be the first to admit, it seems feasible. I've been over every inch of the shuttle and it's a tank…but its diving capabilities are only theoretical."

"We don't have a choice Garrus." Noa twisted the top from her beer and drank deeply. "The Asari Republics don't permit unregistered research teams. There was no way to get an underwater vehicle here without alerting the matriarchy, and that's the last thing we need."

"As much as I hate to admit it, she's right," Aethyta said. "Due to all the damn eezo smuggling, even visitation for tourism is tightly regulated. I can't imagine how many asses Tevos had to kiss to get us here."

"Besides," Noa continued. "The shuttle's hull is designed to withstand more pressure than the crafts currently utilized by the marine science teams. I checked. I wouldn't risk it if I wasn't certain. It's not just our only method of reaching the sea floor; it's our only way out of here." She cocked her head to the side and grinned. "You know I'd never leave you stranded on an island, Vakarian. I know how you feel about swimming."

"It's not the swimming that concerns me, Noa," Garrus drawled. "It's the drowning."

Noa held up her beer. "Here's to not drowning."

Garrus gently touched his bottle to Noa's. "I'll drink to that."

* * *

After their hasty meal, the group had moved farther onto the beach to watch the sunset. Liara threw the last of the dry wood onto the bonfire, sending a shower of sparks drifting upward into the night sky. Other than Garrus, who had retired right after the sun sank below the horizon, everyone else remained awake, slowly nursing their drinks or simply relaxing under the blanket of stars stretched out overhead. Aeian sat cross-legged beside Sam, who lay reclined on her side with her head resting against piece of driftwood. Aethyta half-dozed beside James whose brow was furrowed as if thinking of something important. As Liara settled down beside Noa, James pointed at her with the neck of his beer bottle from the far side of the fire.

"You know Freckles," he slurred. "Someday _I__'m_ gonna have the same thing you and Noa have."

Aeian chortled. "What's that big guy? Breasts?"

James scowled. "No, I'm talking about something better than breasts—"

"And that's how we know you've had too much to drink," Sam interjected. "There are few things better than breasts." After having spent a good portion of the afternoon admiring Noa's, Liara had to agree.

"No…I mean, you know…a relationship like they've got. A soul mate." At James's confession, Aeian covered her face with a hand and groaned. Bedside her, Noa shook with silent laughter. Liara's confused gaze flicked back and forth between them.

"I was under the impression monogamy is common for humans. Is this not true?"

"Noooooo, not _sole _mate," James drawled. "_Soul _mate._ Alma gemela. _The one person in the universe you're destined to be with _toda su vida_. The person who—damn it, Aeian stop laughing— completes you. " Liara's brow knit as she studied Vega through the dwindling flames.

"I fear I do not understand."

"Be glad you don't understand; it's a fat load of nonsensical crap." Aethyta propped up on her elbows and scowled at James. "And here I thought you were one of the smarter humans I've met." She turned her attention to Liara. "It's a romanticized human idea about bondmates. It must be because humans live such short lives." She pushed herself up to a sit. "Some humans…like our resident idiot James…believe they'll meet someone, and it can only ever be _one_ person, who is their perfect match in every way. They believe fate, or destiny, or some hinky crap will lead them to each other, and as soon as they meet, they just _know. _There isn't even a word in asari that means the same thing, that's how stupid it is."

"Come on, Noa…back me up here!" James said.

Noa held up her hands in a warding gesture. "Oh no. I'm afraid you're on your own with this one, buddy."

"Sam, _you_ believe in soulmates don't you?" James's inebriated voice held a note of desperation.

"No…actually, I don't. It's nice to imagine I suppose, but haven't you always found it sort of odd that a person's soulmate ends up being someone from the same city, or colony? Someone they knew as a child, or dated in college? Seriously, what are the odds the single person in the whole of creation you're meant to be with lives just down the street?"

"I laughed so hard at Markus when he suggested we were soulmates he didn't speak to me for nearly a week," Aeian added. "Can you imagine an asari bonding only once? Or even twice?"

James glowered at Aethyta. "So let me get this straight. You were with Benezia for what? A hundred years before Liara was even born? You waited on her all this time, and you honestly don't think you were meant to be together?"

"Athame's sweet ass, human! Haven't you heard a thing I've said? There's no such thing as two people who are _meant_ to be together." Aethyta wrenched James's beer out of his hands and took a hefty swallow before pressing it back into his hand. "Look kid, sure, you'll meet people that set your tighty-whities ablaze, but that's lust. Relationships are work, a damn lot of work. Belief in some kind of imaginary cosmic connection is just a sorry excuse to bail when things get hard. Love…the kind of love like I have for Nezzie and thank the goddess she has for me, is the pay-off for all the work we've both put in over the years. You keep holding onto that soulmate nonsense, you're just setting yourself up for failure. No one is perfect, dumbass so no one can be perfect for you anymore than you can be perfect for them. You have to learn how to be perfect for each other… over time. Even then, there's no guarantee. You humans have damn little time as it is; don't waste it looking for something that doesn't exist. "

Liara hugged her knees to her chest. When Noa's warm arm draped over her shoulders she turned her head to the side. "You do not believe we are soulmates, do you?" Noa's soft, sincere smile sent her pulse skipping, but any response she could have made was cut off by Aethyta's rude snort.

"Kid, any sane human would have run away from you as fast and far as they could at the first mention of the word prophecy. I don't care how amazing the sex is; there's no azure in the galaxy worth the the baggage _you _come with—"

"Father!" _Goddess. _

Aethyta shrugged. "I'm just saying—"

"I've got this, Aethyta," Noa interjected before turning back to Liara. "No, I don't think we are soulmates but— " Noa's eyes widened unexpectedly and she scurried to her feet. "Christ, maybe I don't have this."

"Noa?" Liara struggled to keep the alarm from her voice as Noa raked a hand through her hair and began pacing back and forth.

"I mean…there should be romance and…and flowers! Or something spectacular. Like fireworks! But…" Noa paused and looked down at her. "Aw hell…why not?" The glowing light of the fire turned Noa's hair to flames as she hastily sat back down on the blanket, facing Liara. When Noa reached for her hands, Liara pivoted so that they sat facing each other. Noa's hands trembled in hers.

"Noa, are you alright?"

Noa's answering smile was shaky. "Yes, I'm fine…wonderful." Noa took a deep breath and exhaled hard through lightly pursed lips. "Look…Liara, we haven't really talked about the future. About our future together, I mean. I don't believe we are soulmates. The truth is, you've been alive a lot longer than me, and you will outlive me by hundreds of years. I can't stand the thought of you never finding _—_" She paused and squeezed Liara's hands. "_This _again. I feel connected to you, in a way I don't fully understand, though I've been giving it a lot of thought, and I have a theory about it. I think I'm your tribute person."

"What?" Liara and Aeian spoke in unison.

"You said the A'than grew and evolved because of the tribute they received from enthralled species. It was a primary function of who they were, as natural as breathing, and they needed it. You, on the other hand, have spent your entire life _fighting _your gift. You've thought it was something bad, or harmful and denied yourself what you've needed. And then, you met me. I think it's pretty safe to say we were both instantly attracted to one another."

Liara recalled Aeian's laughter when Liara had mistakenly referred to Noa's hair as fringe, and the way her eyes were drawn to the enticing sway of Noa's hips as she'd led them through the woods. She smiled. "Yes, I believe that is an accurate assessment."

"I think, at that moment, the awareness between us was so acute, you instinctively enthralled me with your gift…but, and this is an important thing, so don't freak out or anything…I'm not your slave, Liara. It's not as if I don't have free will. We both know that isn't true. I think it happened because I had something you wanted, and it's lasted because I give you something you need. I think if you wanted to, you could sever the connection between us, like you've done with everyone else."

Liara stiffened. Even as Noa said it, she knew it was true. But Noa was her source of strength. Her _reason _for…everything. "Is that what you want?" Liara held her breath

Noa's eyes widened. "God, no..no! I want the exact opposite of that!" Noa blinked slowly and Liara slowly released the breathe she'd been holding. "I love you, Liara T'Soni. Whether we are connected by your gift or not, that wouldn't change." Noa swiped her forehead with a shaky hand. "I hadn't exactly planned on doing this here, or now but…your dad is right about _some _things. Humans have short lives, and I don't want to waste a single minute." Noa took a deep breath, blew it out.

"No matter how long my life may or may not be, I want to spend it with you." Noa released Liara's hand and gently cupped her chin. The pad of Noa's thumb whispered across Liara's cheek. "I want to spend a lifetime working to give you reasons, every day, to look at me exactly the way you are right now. So, will you marry me?…Um, be my bondmate?"

Liara could barely breathe for her heart beating so rapidly in her chest. She thought of what Aethyta had said, about work and relationships. Even though she had only known Noa for a short time, they had already overcome so much. Every hurdle they crossed together made them stronger. She thought of Sam, and how wonderful Sam's aura had felt quivering within the confines of her web. She understood that love was not immutable. It was fickle. Like her mother's favorite yellow _eilis _flower, it could grow in unexpected places. Lacking attention and nourishment, it would wither and die. Noa loved her. It radiated from her, glowing, soft, and wonderful, and with every day that passed, Liara loved her beautiful human more. Theirs was a love worth tending.

"Christ, Liara, I'm dying here." Noa's bright eyes stared into hers expectantly.

"I am relieved you do not believe in soulmates, Noa. I have had my fill of destiny and prophecy. I will not let fate determine the course of all my actions as if they were not my own." She paused. Smiled. Her heart felt as if it would burst. "I_ choose_ you, Noa Shepard." She smiled until her cheeks ached.

Noa swallowed nervously. "Just so we're clear…that's a yes?"

Liara laughed. "Yes. Yes I will be your bondmate."

Noa's hand slipped to her nape, and she leaned forward and kissed her swiftly before resting their foreheads together. Liara could not stop smiling. "Damn, T'Soni. You really know how to scare a girl. I'm sorry. I meant to ask privately and…I don't have a ring, or a bracelet for you, but—"

"Oh for fuck's sake." At the gruff sound of Aethyta's voice, they broke apart. As Liara watched, Aethyta unzipped a small pocket over her chest and withdrew something tangled, threw it at Noa. Liara's eyes narrowed as Aethyta swiped at her eyes with her sleeve. "Damn smoke."

"Aethyta," Noa's voice held disbelief. "I can't take these."

Liara looked at the object…objects, she corrected, cupped in Noa's hand. _Goddess._ She held a pair of identical woven bonding bracelets, each an intricately braided band of silver, dark, and light blue threads.

"Like hell you can't. They are mine and Nezzie's. Any kid of mine that's getting bonded is gonna do it right. I'm here to witness and so is Liara's ari. What are you waiting for?"

Noa stared at Aethyta and blinked before turning to James. "Go wake Garrus! Hurry!"

James trotted off into the dark and came back a moment later with a grumbling, half-dressed turian in tow. "Dammit, Noa, this had better be important. I was dreaming about Jalissa and she was just getting ready to calibrate my—"

"Oh God." Sam held up her palm. "Please stop."

"— sniper rifle," Garrus finished, smirking at Sam.

"Damn Vakarian," Aeian rose from her blanket and sashayed over to where Garrus stood. "Who knew you were hiding all those muscles under that armor? Very nice."

Garrus cocked q hip to the side and his mandibles flared as he puffed out his chest. "I've been known to work out on occasion." Liara bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Garrus! Aeian!" Noa voice held barely contained exasperation. "Can you flirt later, please? I'm trying to get married over here…bonded…whatever. It's important."

Garrus stared. "I though Vega was joking."

"Hey, I'm drunk, but I'm not _that _drunk." James hefted the driftwood Sam had been reclining against and dropped it onto the fire.

"I wouldn't get married without you, Garrus. There's no Shepard without Vakarian; you know that. So get over here and be my best man already." The driftood snapped and crackled in a rainbow of colors and the pool of light in which they stood grew wider. "You too James, you drunken oaf. Sam, you'll be my maid of honor…but if you even suggest kissing the bride, I'm tossing you in the ocean."

"Party pooper." Sam gave Liara a slow wink as she moved to Noa's side. Seconds later, Garrus and James shuffled through the sand and stood alongside Sam.

When everyone was ready, Liara and Noa stood facing each other. Liara closed her eyes and breathed deeply. The air smelled of the ocean, and smoke but through them she could smell Noa's unique, other-worldly scent. She heard the waves brush the shore, and the distant song of nocturnal birds. She felt her heart beat solidly inside her chest.

The ceremony was unplanned, yet perfect. Liara could not imagine a better group to stand as their witnesses. Everyone present contributed to her happiness, each in their own way, and she loved them all. When she opened her eyes, Noa stepped closer. Warmth spread through her chest, and the steady cadence of her heart tripped and sped. The silver thread in the bonding bracelets dangling from Noa's fingers flashed orange in the firelight and Noa's eyes shone like twin stars.

"At a human wedding, there would be vows. Is there something I'm supposed to say?" Noa asked uncertainly. Behind Liara, Aethyta sniffled loudly.

"Just tell me you love me." Everything else was insignificant.

Noa's hands were steady and certain as she slipped a bracelet over Liara's hand and cinched it. "I love you, Liara T'Soni. I will love you everyday until I run out of days."

Liara took the second bracelet, pleased when her fingers did not tremble as she snugged it around Noa's wrist. "And I love you, Noa Shepard."

Noa's lips caught her by surprise as they pressed gently against hers. The night air was suddenly cool compared to the heat pouring from Noa's skin, and Liara pressed into her, deepening the kiss. Noa tasted like quiet moments and promises, and Liara had never been so happy.

* * *

**A/N** So this is what happens when my creative wheels start to spin in place. They churn up lots of fluff. Apologies for the unexpected delay. Hopefully the double post helps make up for it! :D

Also, apologies for any mistakes. I posted this absent my usual beta, so it's likely not as polished as usual.


	35. Chapter 35 Sand

**Sand**

* * *

Liara slipped her hand into Noa's and quickly tugged her away from the fire. Aethyta had _finally_ become engrossed in a dice game, presenting Liara with the perfect opportunity to escape with Noa and avoid another spate of ribald commentary from the Matriarch about Liara and Noa's first night together as a bonded couple. Liara had been mortified but Noa, as she did with everything, had taken Aethyta's suggestive teasing in stride. Liara needed no reminders or pointers. She had waited all day to get Noa alone…and naked. She could wait no longer.

Liara tilted her head toward the distant curve of the island, silently indicating her intent, and Noa's teeth flashed white in the dark. As they turned to flee, Aeian emerged from the direction of the camp and spying them, increased her pace to cut off their retreat.

"Going somewhere?" Aeian grinned wickedly at Liara. "You'll want someplace private; I'm betting you're a screamer."

Liara would not gratify Aeian with the knowledge that her thoughts had traveled the same path. Tents were adequate for keeping the elements out, but their thin walls were less well suited for keeping sound in. The shuttle would contain sounds nicely, but it was hardly romantic, and Garrus had already claimed the vessel as his preferred sleeping location, thus Liara's plans for escaping along the beach. Liara sighed impatiently and tried to change the subject to something mundane in the hope of ending the conversation quickly. "I thought you had gone to bed; you disappeared."

Aeian wedged herself between Liara and Noa and slung an arm around each of their shoulders. Pivoting slowly, she turned them down the beach, away from camp. "Do you see that tiny yellow light?"

"Yes…what is it?"

"It's a marker. That's the distance from which Garrus and I were reasonably sure we wouldn't hear you while— ."

"Aeian!"

"Relax, ari." Aeian tipped her head to the side and rested it on Liara's shoulder. "It's a little something Garrus and I did because we love you two…_and _our blissfully uninterrupted sleep." Aeian lifted her head and gave them each a playful shove forward. "Now get out of here and enjoy some alone time."

Needing no further encouragement, Liara took Noa's hand in hers and darted into the darkness and across the sand. They reached the light source several minutes later and Liara smiled. A duffel, spilling over with blankets and provisions sat near a small fire pit stacked with driftwood.

"Wow." Noa gave Liara's hand a gentle squeeze. "We've got the best friends ever."

"Yes. Yes we do."

Noa busied herself lighting the fire while Liara spread blankets on the sand nearby. Her task completed, Liara looked up at the stars to hide her sudden nervousness. Beyond the gentle waves lapping the shore, glassy water reflected the bowl of the sky and its abundance of stars. Powder soft sand lay underfoot and Noa…her _bondmate _crouched within arms reach. The night was perfect. Liara's fingers toyed with the bracelet at her wrist.

Liara jumped when Noa lightly touched the fingers twisting her bracelet. "Not having second thoughts, are you?"

"No, I—" _Am I? No. _Liara loved Noa completely. Once her confrontation with the Intelligence was over, she would sleep beside Noa every night and wake beside her every morning. The notion filled her near to bursting with happiness. "No, of course I am not." Liara struggled to keep her voice light and her tone playful, but an edge of anxiety crept in. Noa seemed rather more quiet and subdued than usual. "Are _you_?"

"God no!" Noa said quickly. _Too quickly? _"I'm the happiest woman in the galaxy."

Liara studied her bondmate closely. Noa's smile appeared a touch too bright, and her shoulders a tad too stiff. The breeze rifled through Noa's hair carrying her indescribable scent and despite the doubts that assailed her, heat curled low in Liara's belly. Watching Noa all day without the luxury of touching her had driven Liara half-mad. The addition of shorts and a loose fitting tee shirt to Noa's attire had provided little relief to Liara's discomfort.

"So…uh, we're finally alone." Noa offered softly. A tender silence, more fragile than awkward, stretched out between them. In the distance, a night bird cooed from the trees. Before the lilting song faded, its mate answered in kind. Noa reached for the duffel. "Let's see what Aeian and Garrus put in this thing."

Careful to dust the sand from her feet, Noa sat down on the blanket and patted the spot beside her before rummaging through the bag. Peering inside, her eyes lit. She reached in and pulled out a half empty bottle of elasa, let it rest easily in her palm. "Lord Vakarian is officially my hero."

Liara's brows drew down in confusion. "But Garrus cannot drink elasa."

"I think he brought it on the off chance that he might get to woo the locals." Noa chuckled. "Don't let his spiny exterior fool you; Garrus is a big softy when it comes to females." Noa rummaged through the duffel again and extracted a collapsible field cup. "There's only one." Noa flashed her a quick grin. "Lucky for you, I'm a great sharer."

The cup sprang open with a quick flick of Noa's wrist, and she poured their drink. Liara loved the way Noa's hands tackled even the most mundane tasks with confidence and efficiency. Liara's hands were tucked under her legs to hide their trembling. Noa's eyes met hers over the rim of the raised cup, crinkled at the corners from her smile. The fire behind Noa outlined her with a radiant orange glow and it was as if the heat Liara felt came not from the flames, but the human sitting in front of her.

"To the unexpected beginning of an unprecedented life together_._" Noa's eyes never left hers as she drank and Liara licked lips made suddenly dry by the motion of Noa's throat as she swallowed. Noa held out the cup. Liara's hand came out of hiding to take it. Why was Noa making no move to touch her? Did she already regret her decision? Liara felt like a stranger in her own skin.

Noa's eyes followed the cup to Liara's lips. Liara drank and the sweet, crisp taste of elasa burst on her tongue. Noa exhaled softly and with delicate fingers, removed the cup from Liara's grasp and set it aside.

"Come here, you." A gentle tug, and the warm circle of Noa's arms enfolded her. Liara sighed as Noa's lips found hers. Noa kissed her as if Liara's mouth held a closely guarded secret Noa was determined to divine with lips, teeth, and tongue. "I have been waiting all day to get my hands on you." Noa's lips blazed a trail of small fires down the line of Liara's neck. Liara's doubts did not flee, but the sensations flooding her were too overwhelming to ignore.

Needing to feel more of her, Liara slid her hands under the hem of Noa's shirt and splayed her palms against Noa's abdomen. Noa's breath hissed out in an appreciative sigh as skin met skin, and Liara reveled in the taut ridges of muscle under her fingertips. Liara's hands continued their upward migration, sliding over the triangles of smooth cloth that bound Noa's breasts. The firm peaks of Noa's nipples strained against the material of her swim top and Liara massaged them against her palms. Noa shuddered.

"Liara…"

"I, too, have been waiting to touch you, Noa." It occurred to Liara the studious application of learned skill might earn her freedom doubt, and she had learned Noa's body very well. She grasped the hem of Noa's shirt and tugged it upward, impatient to prove herself.

Noa's arms stretched upward and the shirt was quickly cast aside. Two slight tugs and Noa's swim top joined it on the sand. Liara leaned forward and lightly kissed the soft curve of Noa's neck, testing its flavor with her tongue while her fingertips trailed gently down Noa's back. Noa tasted like salt and sun. Her skin was warm silk under Liara's lips. She licked the curve of Noa's ear, eliciting a sharp gasp. Her hands and mouth continued onward, along the slope of Noa's shoulders, across her chest.

A sharp, heady moan escaped Noa's throat as Liara's mouth wrapped around the taut peak of her breast and teased it with her tongue. Every inch of Noa's skin was delectable and the soft sounds Noa made were causing Liara to unravel. She jerked, and sighed, nearly forgetting herself when Noa's fingertips began stroking her crests. Sparks of pleasure skipped over Liara's skin everywhere Noa touched. Placing a hand against Noa's shoulder, she gently pushed her human down onto the blanket.

Rising to her knees, Liara paused to stare down at Noa. The human was ridiculously, perfectly beautiful._ Goddess__…how could one woman be so perfect. _

"Uh, starting to feel a little self conscious here, Liara…and you still have _way_ too many clothes on." When Noa's hands reached for Liara's shirt, the asari batted them away. Disrobing Noa was like unwrapping a present and despite her impatience, she planned to enjoy it. Dropping low, she planted a row of kisses down the midline of Noa's abdomen. The fastener of Noa's shorts bumped Liara's chin and her lips curved in a smile as she remembered their first night together. Shifting until she straddled Noa's legs, Liara placed a quick kiss just below Noa's navel before grasping the cloth near the button of Noa's shorts between her teeth. Noa propped on her elbows.

"Li, what are you—" Liara tugged sideways and back, emitting a contended purr as the row of buttons slipped free one by one.

"Christ…" Noa gasped as Liara's tongue flicked across newly exposed skin. "That was, like, the sexiest thing ever."

A pleased smile played across Liara's lips as she lifted Noa's hips with one hand and tugged the shorts down with the other until Noa kicked them free. "I have wanted to do that for a very long time."

Noa's fingertips touched Liara's cheek. "You can do that whenever you want. Really." Liara nuzzled Noa's stomach, reveling in the heat and scent of her her skin before kneeling over her bondmate.

"There is something else I have wanted to do." Liara trailed her fingertips lightly across Noa's breasts before sliding her hands back down to Noa's waist, and lower, to trace the curved outlines of Noa's hips with her thumbs. Two narrow spaces were created between Noa's skin and the waistband of her suit where it crossed the crests of her hips and met the flat plane of her abdomen. The twin spots had teased the asari all day; it was as if they existed solely for the purpose of more easily undressing the human. Liara closed her eyes and sighed as she eagerly slipped her fingers under elastic and met hot skin. Hooking her fingers, she peeled the suit down and off. Liara crawled back up Noa's length.

"You can do _that_ whenever you want, too."

"Be careful what you promise; you may find yourself spending a great deal of time without clothing."

Before Liara could react, Noa's arms wrapped around her, tugged her sideways and down, until the asari was stretched out half under her. Noa's fingers curled in Liara's shirt.

"Speaking of clothing, can we _please_ take this off you now?" Noa's naked weight pressed against her shredded the last vestiges of Liara's patience. Shouldering Noa aside, she yanked her shirt over her head. When her fingers reached for the clasp on her shorts, Noa's hands stilled her. "Wait." Noa scooted down and grinned up at Liara enthusiastically. "I am _so_ gonna do this."

Holding Liara's hips in place, Noa, still smiling, grasped the clasp between her teeth and tugged. The material tented, but the clasp didn't budge. Noa tried again, but despite her incessant tugging, the clasp stayed firmly fastened. After several more failed attempts, Noa released it, pouting. "My god, how the hell did you _do _that? You made it look so easy…and _hot._" Noa scowled at the now soggy clasp of Liara's shorts. "This is the exact opposite of sexy."

Liara laughed and wound her fingers in Noa's hair. Sometimes, her human did something so characteristically _Noa _Liara's heart ached for the joy she felt. She sucked in a sharp breath as Noa's fingertips reached under her shorts, a wicked thumb sliding over to stroke her through the damp cloth of her suit.

Noa's smile was triumphant. "Now _that _is sexy."

"Noa…" The name came out as a pleading whimper.

The remainder of Liara's clothing came off in a flurry of impatient, grasping hands mingled with teasing kisses and touches. Desperate to feel her, Liara reached out to find Noa's naked skin, and pulled her close, stifling a moan as Noa's stomach grazed hers. Skin slid against skin in increasing flashes of heat. Lured by the enticing curve of Noa's lip, Liara captured it between her lips. Even though Noa trembled against her, Liara couldn't miss that the human was distracted. She had grown increasingly stiff in Liara's arms and seemed entirely uncertain where to place her hands. Liara released her mouth and pulled back far enough to better see Noa's face.

"Noa, is something wrong?"

"No, of course not." Noa's eyes met hers briefly, then slid away. She wriggled sideways until she was more fully on top of Liara.

Every doubt Liara had came rushing to the surface. Noa was obviously lying. Reaching up, she captured Noa's face in her hands. "Have I done something—"

"No!" Noa said, mortified. "No, you…good God, Liara, if you get any more perfect it will probably _kill_ me."

"Then why are you not telling me the truth?" Irritation warred with hurt. How could Liara possibly fix whatever was wrong if the stubborn woman lied to her?

Noa emitted a soft, resigned sigh. "Do you promise not to laugh?"

"Noa, I promise I will not laugh. Please…what is wrong?"

Noa mumbled a single soft syllable and averted her eyes. She'd spoken so softly and mangled the word so badly, that even as close as they were, Liara couldn't make out what she'd said. "By the goddess, Noa…I can't—"

"Sand!" Noa pushed herself up to a sit and began swiping furiously at her elbows. "It's _sand._ It's…it's everywhere and it's…gritty and…well, _sandy._" The human scowled and shuddered.

To keep from laughing, Liara bit the inside of her cheek so hard tears sprang to her eyes. Thessia's sand was powdery and soft. 'Sandy' was naturally an apt descriptor, but the fine grains were in no way gritty. How could an archeologist have an aversion to such a common substrate? She silently counted to ten before she could trust herself to speak. "You dislike sand?"

Noa's shoulder slumped and her chin dipped low. "Yes."

Liara bit her cheek again. Noa spoke as if confessing a dislike of giggling infants. Noa's head came up sharply. "For the record, the beaches I visited as a kid had _rocks_…and before you ask, I'm either _fully_ dressed…gloves and goggles… or I make James do it," she admitted guiltily.

"You're referring to dig sites, I presume?"

"Yes!" Noa looked so thoroughly miserable and dejected Liara couldn't help but smile. Now that she thought about it, when they had set up the campsite, Noa had avoided the dry sand areas of the beach in favor of the more rocky shade farther under the trees, and as they swam, she had remained either in the water, or at the water's edge, where the sand was wet. Liara sighed and kissed her. Sometimes, her bondmate was perfectly exasperating. Smiling against Noa's lips, she pulled back. "Goddess, I love everything about you, Noa Shepard."

"Even though I hate half of what your home planet seems to be made up of?"

"Yes." Liara kissed the tip of Noa's nose. "Stand up."

"What? Why?"

"Because I cannot remove the sand from the blanket while we are sitting on it."

Noa stood and moved off to one side, staying well clear of the blanket as Liara lifted it and shook it vigorously. Liara carefully spread the blanket back out and motioned for Noa to sit on its edge. Once she was seated, Liara retrieved her shirt and lifting each of Noa's feet, dusted them off. She carefully repeated the process for herself, ensuring as few grains of sand as possible contaminated the blanket.

"I feel like I've just ruined our wedding night." Noa sat with her knees drawn up to her chest in the center of the blanket, glaring at the sand as if her scowl would warn it away. Liara scooted next to her.

"Noa." Reaching sideways, Liara hooked her hand under Noa's bent knee and pulled the human onto her lap so they sat almost facing each other with Noa's firm backside supported by Liara's thighs. "Trust me when I tell you _nothing_ could ruin this night."

Their position put Noa's breasts within tantalizingly easy reach of Liara's mouth. Liara captured the taut peak of the nearest between her lips and flicked her tongue lightly over its tip. Noa's hips jerked upward in response and Liara's core throbbed painfully. She pulled Noa farther into her mouth until the human wilted against her in a delicious tangle of grasping arms and legs.

"You also seem… to have forgotten," Liara said, her speech broken by shortened breath as she looked up into Noa's eyes. "I am a biotic." Liara pressed her palm flat against the center of Noa's chest. For a brief moment, she allowed her eyes to drift shut to better feel the rapid thud of Noa's heart beating against her palm. Before permitting herself to become too distracted, she opened them again. Concentrating, she gathered dark energy between her palm and Noa's skin.

"Whoa…that kind of, um..tingles. Liara, what are you—"

"Patience, love." A sheathe of biotic energy slid over Noa's skin, across her chest, down her stomach, over her arms and legs.

Noa's head slumped onto Liara's shoulder. "Christ…tingling. _Good _tingling. Wow." Noa gasped and sank her teeth into Liara's shoulder. "Li…" Liara flicked her wrist, and the sheathe ballooned outward, enclosing the pair in a shimmering bubble, and pushing away every grain of sand that lingered on Noa's skin. Noa sighed in frustrated relief and lifted her head.

"There." Liara smiled up at her. "I think you will find you no longer have any sand touching you, and so long as you remain where you are…" Sliding her hand down, Liara lightly skimmed the pad of her thumb across Noa's slick center and the human trembled. "And I hope you _do_… you will remain sand-free."

Noa appeared torn. Liara followed Noa's gaze to the margin of the barrier where it touched the blanket. Inside the barrier, the blanket was free of sand. Outside, however, it was evident that despite their best efforts, the blanket was covered in a fine dusting of powder. She looked down at Liara. "This hardly seems fair. I mean—" Noa leaned left and twisted right. It was clear if she left Liara's lap she would be forced to face her fine-grained nemesis. "There's not a lot of room to work with here, and I can't exactly…um. Well, there's no good way to um…reciprocate?"

"Noa." Liara pulled Noa closer. Liara could easily increase the size of the barrier surrounding them, but she rather liked the feel of the human so close, and having so much of her within easy reach. The solution was abundantly simple. "Please stop talking and embrace eternity."

"What?…Oh!…Wait!"

Liara immediately pulled back. Even bondmates did not enter one another's minds without consent. Waiting was…difficult. "Yes?"

Noa rested her cheek against Liara's shoulder. "I might have a little performance anxiety," she confessed.

"Performance…? Goddess, Noa. Do not be absurd. Everything about you is pleasing to me."

Noa's sigh brushed Liara's neck. "Do you have any idea how much I love you? And how much I want this to be…it's not like we haven't done this before, Liara, but…we're bondmates. I can usually describe most things relatively well, but there are no words in any language I know that can adequately convey how happy and complete that makes me feel. I wanted tonight to be…different. Better…I don't know. I wanted it to be more, somehow. But then I go and make things all weird with my unfounded loathing of sand, and by successfully managing to drool on your shorts. I'm not exactly batting a thousand here." Noa paused. "Then a part of me feels really stupid for even thinking that because I am here, naked…_with you__…_who is also naked, and I don't know that it gets much better than that. Even with the sand."

Liara's heart ached, stretching to contain the growing abundance of love she felt for her human. "Noa, tonight is already the most perfect night I have ever lived." A soft chuckle escaped her lips. "Even with the sand. But if you want to wait until we are somewhere without sand and I am wearing only garments with no clasps…we can."

Noa's head whipped up from Liara's shoulder. The human stared at Liara, her expression unreadable. "Is that what _you_ want?"

Liara studied Noa. Her hair was a tangle of wind-swept curls sprouting from her head at odd angles, and shadows of flames danced across her skin. They were together, bonded on the asari's home world. Noa was safely ensconced within the circle of Liara's arms and the glowing curtain of her barrier, and Liara had no inkling of what the morning would bring. "Goddess no."

"Thank God." Noa crushed Liara's lips under hers, the kiss swift and fierce before she pulled away. "Me either. So can you—"

"Embrace eternity"


	36. Chapter 36 Many Names

**Many Names**

* * *

The ocean muffled the sounds of the shuttle. Even the internal beeps, clicks, and whirs Liara had come to associate with a craft in flight were muted, as if blankets swathed all the gauges and displays. She would have found the unexpected reduction of sound disconcerting had it not been for the way it permitted her to enjoy Noa's softly muttered exclamations of surprise. Liara studied her bondmate from the corner of her eye, a small smile playing across her lips. Noa perched on the edge of the pilots seat gazing intently at the topography of Thessia's ocean floor as rendered on the view screens by the shuttles camera's. Once or twice, she had been certain Noa would press her hands and nose to the screens, like a child, as if the action would bring the images closer.

"Whoa! Do you _see_ that?" Noa pointed. Ahead of them a shifting mass surrounded by a violet nimbus of energy hovered in the current. As the shuttle drew closer, the nebulous image resolved into a tightly packed school of thousands of silvery biotic _jaleet_. They were beautiful, but not nearly as fascinating to Liara as Noa. The asari turned sideways in her seat to better see Noa's profile. Liara had never met anyone so easily and wholly intrigued by everything around them as her human. The realization nudged her heart and sent it tumbling. Again.

Noa turned her attention to Liara, her lips curving in a crooked grin at Liara's scrutiny. "What?"

Liara shook her head, unable to find the right words as her heart fluttered and ached inside her chest. Sometimes, Liara could feel the connection between them so acutely it stole her breath and she wondered how many times, and in how many ways she could fall in love with the same person over and over. Notwithstanding the human's peculiar aversion to sand, Noa was perfect.

Liara was not.

Liara's flaws chafed like a scratchy, ill-fitted shirt. She was reluctant to admit it, but when Aiean or Noa teased her about the lingering remnants of her elitism, or her 'priestess vibe' as Aeian had so colorfully described it; Liara felt a small surge of pride. She had accepted the challenges provided by her formative years and succeeded despite her age and status. She had earned her elitism through discipline.

Noa's love humbled her. Noa was everything right and good. She was smart and strong, humorous and kind. And her mouth…_goddess, her mouth! _Everything about the human was exemplary. After having spent years bent to the task of thwarting the odds and succeeding, to have Noa love her so completely in such a short time and to have done nothing to_ earn_ it was…terrifying.

Noa had described herself as a source of tribute. The assessment resonated as too true to deny. Liara had sensed something in Noa she needed, and without conscious thought had joined them in a way she did not fully understand. She no longer feared the connection, or her need for it; she feared her own inadequacy. What if she took more than she gave?

The callused pads of Noa's fingers lifted Liara's chin. Liara had not heard Noa engage the autopilot, or shift from the navigator's seat. Noa's eyes were luminous in the dim light as she knelt before her. "What are you thinking?"

Liara's fingers closed around Noa's wrist, inadvertently brushing the bonding bracelet clasped there. Despite her misgivings, a smile tugged at her lips at the pride she felt for having been the one to put it there, followed closely by a fierce possessiveness. Liara did not dwell on the way Noa kneeling before her tripped some sort of primordial switch in the asari's brain that resulted in a bone deep satisfaction. Noa's perfect mouth was too close.

Liara's hand slid up the smooth muscle of Noa's arm to hook behind her nape. Tugging her close, Liara covered Noa's mouth with hers, swallowing a sigh as Noa's lips eagerly parted. She could spend hours exploring the shape and textures of Noa's mouth. Noa's hands slid down Liara's back and grasped her hips, pulling Liara snuggly against her. Liara suddenly hated clothes very much.

"Liara—" Noa's mouth pulled free to nibble at Liara's neck. "Have I mentioned I _love_ the way your mind works." Noa's hands tugged impatiently at the straps of Liara's leathers. "Do you know how much sand is inside this shuttle right now?…None! There is _none_ sand in the shuttle!"

"_Noa? Liara?__" _Noa froze as Sam's voice spilled through the comm._"Your heart rates just jumped through the bloody roof? Is everything alright?_" Liara stretched to reach past Noa, fingertips fumbling for the communications panel for several agonizing seconds before finally hitting the proper switch.

"Um, yes Samantha…everything is fine." Liara slumped against Noa's shoulder. How could she have forgotten about the biometric sensors? "We were startled by a…I suppose the nearest earth equivalent would be a shark," she lied, struggling to keep her voice steady as Noa's lips continued their exploration of her neck. "A rather large specimen with—" Her breath hissed out as Noa bit her neck and smiled against her skin. "With impressive teeth."

"_Oh_." There was a brief moment of silence. "_Well__… try not to get so excited over the wildlife. You nearly gave me a damn heart attack._" Releasing a frustrated sigh, Noa rocked back onto her heels, her expression one of amusement blended with disappointment.

"No problem, Sam." She toggled off the comm and looked up at Liara through laughing eyes framed by one arched brow. "A shark?"

"It was the first thing that came to mind." Liara stifled her frustration and forced herself to turn to the systems display. Her heart rate would never return to normal if she kept imagining Noa's lips against her skin. "How far are we from the rift?" The scanner Sam designed had isolated the signal in the vicinity of Tykis rift, a deep gorge between Thessia's tectonic plates that stretched for over a thousand kilometers across the ocean floor.

"We're about fifty kilometers from the drop off. Once we get there, we should be able to get a much more specific point of origin from the scanner. You probably have enough time to nap if you want." Liara heard the smile in Noa's voice and turned to see it. "You…uh, you didn't get much sleep last night."

"Nor did you as I recall." Liara relaxed against the headrest. In truth, she was exhausted, and not simply because of Noa…though her bondmate _was _responsible for her immediate fatigue. The emotional peaks and valleys since leaving Nevos had worn her thin to the point of transparency. It said a great deal about the depth of her fatigue that even though they were currently nearly a kilometer underwater, approaching the precipice of the deepest point in Thessia's ocean in search of the primary architect of her genome that she allowed her eyes to drift closed. "Perhaps I will rest my eyes for a few minutes." Even as the words fell from her lips, sleep tugged at her, aided by the muted hum of the instruments.

* * *

"Liara!" Noa's panicked voice roused her. Liara woke to the pale glow of the shuttles emergency lights. "Liara wake up!"

Liara jerked to her feet, quickly assessed the darkened panels, turned to Noa. "We have no power. What is happening?"

"I'm not sure. Comms are down, engines are offline. Life support and auxiliary systems are working, thank God…but…"

Liara stared at the view screens. The external lights reached fruitlessly into darkness and a deep feeling of foreboding settling in her chest. "Noa, where are we?" When Liara turned, Noa's expression was grim.

"We're at the drop off." Noa stood behind the pilot's chair, wrenching an access panel free of its housing. "I'm going to try to reroute the auxiliary power to the main engines. We're sinking…and drifting, and whoever came up with the bright idea of turning this thing into a boat failed to install an anchor." Noa's hands dove into the access panel and began pulling out wires. "If I can't get the main engines online, the current is going to push us right over the edge and into— "

A heavy thump jarred the underside of the hull, followed by an ominous scraping noise and the shuttle lurched forward and sideways. Liara grasped an overhead grip with one hand and Noa's waist with the other, just before her bondmate tumbled into the cockpit's instrument panel. The nose of the shuttle stirred up sediment as it furrowed into sand. Seconds later, the craft slowed to a stop, still slightly askew, but mostly level. Liara released the hand grip and pulled Noa against her. "Are you alright?"

"Thanks to you I am." Liara loved that despite the severity of their situation, Noa could still manage a smile that made her stomach flip. "You seem to have a knack for keeping me from getting banged up in shuttles. I like it."

"And I like you." Liara rested her chin on Noa's shoulder and gazed at the viewing screens. The sediment and debris dislodged by the shuttle had drifted away leaving nothing in their wake but an endless expanse of ocean. "We should try—Goddess, Noa…." A familiar shape emerged from the gloom, black at first, then lit by an eerie light. The rock paintings on Namakli failed to convey Levi'athan's enormity. Pain ripped through Liara's skull, and everything went black.

* * *

Liara sways unsteadily on too heavy feet. The part of her brain not overwhelmed by the abrupt shift in her surroundings knows the floor under her boots and the boundless black space stretching out before her are the constructs of a meld, but it feels wrong in a way that makes her crests tingle in warning. Wrong like matriarchs deferring to maidens. A perilous affront to an immutable natural order. Her first instinct is to recoil, to withdraw, but she cannot. Her mind is as open as a sieve and Levi'athan pours through it. Her shock at the realization gives way to fear when she sees Noa on the floor nearby.

"Noa!" Liara falls to her knees at the human's side. Noa should not be here, yet somehow Noa _is _here, pale as death. Her bondmate's cheeks are ice cold between Liara's palms and her recumbent form inordinately still. _Oh!_ "Goddess, Noa…breathe, love…_breathe._"

Miraculously, Noa seems to hear. She gasps, coughs, sucks in a deep ragged breath. Curled lashes flutter open and relief floods the asari. "Liara? What the hell happened?"

"You should not be here."

Like a long forgotten lullaby, Liara's memories know the voice. Recognition extends beyond familiarity from the orbs, dredged up from deep within her very cells. Still kneeling, Liara shifts her weight, pivots. Biotic tendrils writhe across Benezia's skin, and the smooth length of her dress. The matriarch wears a benevolent smile and studies Liara through eyes as dark and merciless as the Goddess. Her gaze is beautiful and terrible and wholly _wrong_. The figure before her is _not_ Benezia, but a shade dredged from Liara's memories.

"Your mind belongs to us." Not-Benezia's index finger taps a temple. "Your memories give voice to our words. Accept this."

Liara searches inward. As Levi'athan indicates, her mind is not her own. Liara's biotics flare, shielding Noa. Her human, usually so strong, is as vulnerable as a child here. They are somehow together in Liara's mind, but Liara is not the author of this encounter.

You should not be here," Benezia repeats. "Why have you come?"

Liara is on her feet before her brain registers the movement, furious at the hijacking of her memories for Levi'athan's charade. "I came to find you—"

"You have come too far."

"I am not your pawn!" The vehemence in her voice surprises Liara, but she means it. She accepts her fate, but she did not choose it.

Benezia's expression becomes smug, and she cants her head to the side thoughtfully. "No. You are something _more_." The voice speaks with a reverence reserved for gods by lesser beings. The tone taints Liara. Levi'athan's respect is not for her; Benezia's eyes study her clinically, looking for flaws in the fruit of Levi'athan's great plan. Liara despises gloating.

Noa's fingers touch Liara's shoulder as if the human believes she is made of glass. "Li…it's okay; I don't think it intends to hurt us." Liara reluctantly drops her shield, but steps in front of Noa when her bondmate attempts to pass her. Noa does not perceive the risk; Liara feels it like standing on the edge of a cliff with the ground crumbling away under her toes. The lack of control is maddening. "What do you mean…she's more?" Noa prompted.

"_Ava__'thun_, _Vint_, _Inuvav, Telanda__…Oracle." _Liara whirls just as not-Aeian saunters by. When Liara looks, Benezia is gone. The guise shift confuses her, no doubt Levi'athan's intent. "Since the dawn of your inception, you have been known by many names." Aeian flourishes a hand, and a galaxy map unfolds across the floor. A system Liara doesn't recognize illuminates. "You began as an idea, and became an experiment." A single, thin shaft of light shoots to a neighboring system, forks. Systems go dark, new civilizations emerge. Always, the light moves, branching outward, eventually moving faster than she can follow. "The cosmos itself served as your crucible. Every civilization we touched augmented or altered the framework of your existence to ensure the likelihood of your eventual success." With every system that goes dark, guilt crushes Liara. Aeian turns to face her. "We have watched through the fragments. Your task is at hand. You should not be here."

It seems incomprehensible to Liara the efforts of so many spread across space and time have resulted in someone as flawed as she is. She has no idea how to defeat the Intelligence, only that she must. She shrinks, inadequate barely scratches the surface of the numerous ways in which she feels deficient. Noa nudges past her.

"Hold on." Liara's eyes spring up at the crisp anger in Noa's voice. "That's a lot of damn responsibility to lay on one person's shoulders!" Noa's index finger stabs the air in front of Aeian's apparition. "If your species hadn't created the Intelligence, _none _of this would have happened!"

The air shimmers, and not-Aeian is gone. Long strides carry not-Aethyta forward, the sorrow writ in every line of her face is at odds with the angry rigidity of her posture. "You cannot conceive of a galaxy that bends to your will. Our kind was the apex of life. The lesser species were in our thrall, serving our needs. They were protected, cared for, nurtured, but we could not protect them from themselves. In this way, too, the A'than ignored our progenitor's warning. They had grown too proud, too certain. The Intelligence was seen as another tool. The Intelligence offered no warning of its betrayal, the A'than were slaughtered."

"Your progenitor? You aren't Levi'athan?"

"Yes." Not-Aethyta's chin dips to her chest and a profound wave of sadness engulfs Liara. "And no. We are the first of the last, the progeny of the one you know as Levi'athan, though we hold its memories and experiences." Liara rises to her feet. She is struck by how deeply she feels the loss and the ugly efficiency with which the reapers modeled their creators. The reapers also hold the memories and experiences of the fallen. Fear arcs down the asari's spine at the manner in which her own power mirrors Levi'athan's.

"Show me what I need," Liara demands. Not-Aethyta's eyes bore into Liara's, and the reluctance in them confounds and infuriates the asari. She has not come this far for half-answers and evasion. It is an effort, but she does not scream. "A reaper called Sovereign seeks to gain control of the Citadel and usher in the next harvest cycle. We know the orb controlling the keepers is there, but if I interact with it, it will cease to work. Sovereign will activate the Citadel before I can even _locate_ the Intelligence. I need the knowledge contained in the last sphere." If crests moved, as some foolishly believed, hers would be standing on end. Liara looks deeply into Benezia's terrible and beautiful eyes, and something like understanding passes between danger the asari has been unable to define becomes as clear and sharp as glass. She licks lips gone suddenly dry. "You already knew."

An orb like the ones they've found on Namakli and Parnack, but larger, rises from the floor. The familiar tug overpowers Liara, forces her eyes closed. "Since the reapers, we reach out through the fragments. We have seen all that you have seen."

Realization dawns. "The fragments do not contain stored data. They are _connections. _To you. Goddess, you were there the entire time, watching, taking information from me as I took it from you. Why? Why did you not reveal all at once instead of forcing us to scour the galaxy for them?"

"Your limits are unknown to us." Benezia pauses. "And your intent. You needed the knowledge we contain to grow stronger, yet your development poses a potential threat."

"Jesus fucking… Liara is a _person,_ not the damned equivalent of an organic Intelligence!"

Liara loves how quickly Noa's mind digests information. The asari is too stunned to respond. The revelation makes terrifying sense. Levi'athan's progeny fears the tool its forebear designed. Her power to enthrall has grown exponentially at every contact with the ancient species and like the Intelligence, she could betray.

She stares deeply into the patterns swirling through the fragment. She craves the connection, the dark tang of power, the delicate flavor of acquiescence. Liara's fingertips hover over the orb's surface but compelling as the object is, she fears its allure, and resists though it is like denying her own name.

"Your strength is singular." Not-Samantha's eyes smile up at the asari knowingly as if Liara's abstinence has validated its success.

"Do not flatter yourself that all I am is your doing!" Furious, Liara tears her eyes away from Sam and turns to Noa. The bracelet on her bondmate's wrist glows as if lit from within and warmth slides up Liara's arm, seeps into her chest, reminds her of who she is, and who she is not. Two paces, and her fingertips brush Noa's cheek. "If I am _more_, it is not only because of the abilities with which I have been endowed. I have been made more by those whose loyalty and love have been freely given." Spoken aloud, the admission frees a tightly gripped fear. Noa's love is a gift that cannot be earned; Liara's duty to their bond lies in remaining worthy of it. The silent affirmation in Noa's eyes brings welcome peace. Liara reluctantly drops her hand, and turns. Once again wearing Aeian's face, Levi'athan watches her pensively. "I am part of something worth saving. You can either help me, or you can remain here, cowering in the dark until the reapers come for you when I fail. This time, they will."

"The Intelligence is a mistake that must be corrected." Not-Benezia speaks as if by rote, and the words carry a lonely ache Liara knows well. It's the sound of sacrifice and denial. The mournful knell of solitude and shame. The matriarch approaches the orb, rests her hands against it. "We will act in accordance to our needs and purpose…and serve yours." Benezia's eyes are alive with a hunger for tribute and thirst for vengeance. Liara trembles in recognition before looking away. "Place your hands upon the fragment, and _know._" As Liara begins to move toward the orb, Noa's fingers close around her wrist.

"Li, you don't have to do this. We can find another way." Though Noa can feel Liara's fear, the human remains as calm and still as a mountain lake. So calm even Aethyta would be impressed, Liara thinks.

"There is no other way." Liara's face won't fully cooperate and her attempt at a reassuring smile comes out as a grimace. "I will be fine." From the narrowing of her eyes, Noa is obviously not convinced. It can't be helped.

By the time Liara reaches the orb, her pulse is bouncing in fear and anticipation. She wonders briefly if it is wrong for her to so badly want the power the connection brings. Before fear and doubt turn her from her task, she lays her hands against the fragment.

She falls inward. It is not the headlong rush Liara has come to expect, but a controlled plunge. Her conversation with Levi'athan has given her insight into the way the fragments work, and Levi'athan's sojourn into her mind has enabled more effective communication.

_We are A__'than. The cycle must continue. I am Levi'athan. The cycle must end. _

Images flicker behind her eyes, inside her head, each a captured moment as seen through the fragments Levi'athan dispersed across the galaxy. There are so many! Too many…her head feels like it is being jacked open with a knife. She is whisked through the past and pulled into the present. The images slow, and her existence winnows away to insatiable hunger, whether hers or Levi'athan's she cannot tell, but it shreds her.

_You require that which you deny. You must take it to remain strong and survive. _

If she is going to do this, she would prefer that Levi'athan tell her something she didn't already know. Her needs are secondary to defeating the Intelligence.

An image emerges, freezes. She recognizes it as the Citadel, though she has never been to this particular spot before. The image is gone and she still has no idea what to do once she gets there. Liara's mind shifts and stretches to accommodate the information pouring into her. Pieces fall together like a puzzle and the pain of understanding crushes her to dust.

Liara knows what she must do.

* * *

**A/N** (putting this at the end cause it's lengthier than usual)

Apologies for the unexpected and altogether unintentional delay in updates. I hope the double entry makes it up to you in some small way.

I've recently discovered there is a significant difference between knowing what you want to write, and having the ability to write it.

Actually, that's a lie.

I've always known, but it's never been this problematic before. This story has been a living, breathing thing inside my head for quite some time now, and though I could clearly envision where I needed to go, getting there was…well, it was difficult to say the least. Slipping into a story is, for me, like slipping into a second skin. Over the past month, it's been as if someone sneaked in, stole my story while I was otherwise occupied, washed it in extremely hot water and dried it on 'high', so that when I went to put it back on, it just didn't fit. It was there, and intact, but not the same. Fortunately, I've managed to slowly stretch it back out so that it fits properly once more and is none the worse for the ordeal. In some ways, it might even be better.

I am abysmally behind reading and reviewing. If I'm being perfectly honest, I feel worse about that than the the delay in updating the story. Please remain patient with me as I get caught up.

I want to send sincere and heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been kind enough to check up on me via PM. You are all amazing, and more appreciated than I have the ability to adequately articulate. Your courtesy and concern are truly humbling and…sort of staggeringly mind-blowing, actually. Thank you.

Finally: To OwelPost and Midnight Lion…words fail. I am indebted to you in ways I will likely never be able to repay for your immeasurable kindness and support. Thank you. A thousand times: thank you.


End file.
